I'm Not Crazy
by Reyna15
Summary: Whilst running from A one night, Spencer is knocked unconscious. When she wakes up, something has changed. Will these differences cause trouble with her relationships? Will she ever recover? Rated T for mature content. Language, Femslash-Spemily, talk of mental issues, etc.
1. Bad Luck

**CHAPTER 1: Bad Luck**

_SPENCER'S POV:_

I snuck through the bushes quietly. I was outside an abandoned warehouse off the road. After a lot of research and monitoring A's targets, I had been able to narrow down the locations of A's lair to a few places.

Emily and Hanna were on their way, and Aria was supposed to have gotten here a few minutes ago. I sighed, and glanced at my watch when I heard the sound of footsteps behind me.

My breath hitching in my throat, I spun around only to see Aria.

"Are you sure this is the place Spence?" She asked, hesitant.

"I'm positive." I replied, taking a deep breath.

"Sorry, did I scare you?" She looked worried.

"You're fine Aria. I'm just a bit jumpy." I reassured her, and glanced back at the building.

"Emily and Hanna are supposed to get here soon, but I don't think we have much time. With our luck A already knows we're here, we need to go if we want any chance of catching anything." I sighed.

I took a hesitant step forward, but Aria grabbed my arm, pulling me back.

"Spencer! We have to wait, it's too dangerous for you to go alone." She bit her lip, obviously scared shitless.

"I'm not alone Aria, I have you!" I smiled and grabbed her arm. Aria rolled her eyes and followed me towards the building. We were covered by the night, and luckily didn't have to worry a whole lot about being seen on our way over there.

Once we got outside the back door, I pulled out my lock picking kit only to have Aria push the door open.

"Whoever was here didn't lock it Spencer." She gulped.

"Maybe because they're still here." I thought aloud.

"Don't say that, that just makes me even more creeped out!" Aria snapped.

We walked into the abandoned building together, never leaving each other's sight.

"Spencer, what's this?" Aria asked, as we walked into a dark room. She carefully flipped a light switch on, and the room was illuminated.

Broken pill bottles lay strewn across the floor, and dirty bandages covered the dusty counters. Blood stains resided on an old mattress, and I gulped.

"I'm not sure." I replied nervously. I walked over to the counters, and cautiously opened a drawer. Inside were a bunch of files, and I carefully removed one of them to look at it.

"Spencer, this place is gross." Aria complained, shaking dust off an old booklet.

"I know. It's odd though…" I muttered.

"What do you mean?" Aria was confused, and frightened out of her mind.

"When I searched this building it said it was used to store furniture…" I droned, concerned that the information I got was wrong.

I skimmed through the file in front of me, and then dropped it.

"Spencer?" Aria jolted up.

"Aria, we need to get out of here." I snapped.

"What-"

"This isn't an abandoned storage unit...it's an old asylum."

Aria's eyes went wide.

"Asylum? What do you mean?" She asked.

"It's like an older creepier Radley." I explained quickly.

Aria nodded briskly, and the two of us ran out of the musty room as fast as our legs could carry us.

However, when we reached the back door, it was locked.

"Dammit Spencer, we need to get out of here." Aria breathed heavily.

"I know I know." I pulled out my lock kit and started to work on the old doorknob. I had almost finished getting it when Aria screamed.

I jolted up and my throat went dry.

Across the hallway, looking at us, was a figure in a black hoodie.

Normally that would have been enough to scare me, but unfortunately our luck was pretty bad.

That figure was holding a gun.


	2. This Was A Horrible Idea

**CHAPTER 2: This Was A Horrible Idea**

_SPENCER'S POV:_

"Aria…" I trailed off, as the two of us stared at the person in front of us. I felt my fingers fiddle behind me as I continued with the lock, and once I felt the click, I dropped my tools and grabbed Aria's arm.

"Now!" I screamed, as I pushed the door open with my shoulder. Aria wasted no time in sprinting out of the building as fast as she could. I started to run behind her when I felt a bullet graze my leg. I screamed again, and winced as I continued to put pressure on the leg as I ran.

I glanced down as I was running. Luckily it wasn't too deep, and I knew I most likely wouldn't need stitches. Aria kept looking behind her, making sure I was still following her.

I heard another gunshot, and yelped as the ground next to me erupted in a storm of dirt. Whoever A was, they weren't having any mercy on the two of us.

I looked over my shoulder as I ran, and watched as the black clad figure walked back into the house, almost sulking. I sighed, relieved, when I felt my feet lose their footing.

I crashed to the ground violently, tripping over a large rock in the middle of the field. I winced as my head slammed onto the hard rock covered ground, and laid for a minute before attempting to stand back up.

"Spencer?!" Aria called, as she turned around, and stopped running. I stood up shakily, and started to walk after her, when my vision went black.

_ARIA'S POV:_

I nearly screamed when I heard the second gunshot. I quickly glanced behind me, only to see Spencer still running after me. She was running pretty slow, but I figured she was just trying to stay behind me so we could stay together. Otherwise, she'd outrun me any day.

I kept running until I couldn't hear Spencer's feet behind me. I turned around, and walked for a few minutes until I made it back to the field in front of the creepy building.

"Spencer?!" I called out. I didn't see her anywhere, and it wasn't until I saw her struggling to get up that I started to panic.

I immediately ran back towards her.

"Spencer!" I screamed, knowing something was wrong. She took a step towards me once she got back onto her feet, but it wasn't two seconds later that she collapsed back onto the ground.

"Spencer, Spencer, talk to me." I muttered as I kneeled next to her. Her eyes were closed, and she didn't show any signs of waking up anytime soon.

"Aria?!" Emily's voice called out. I guess they had finally gotten here.

"Over here!" I yelled back.

Emily and Hanna burst through the trees, and immediately came running when they saw Spencer and me.

"Oh my god what happened?!" Emily cried, kneeling next to Spencer, and moving her until Spencer's head rested in her lap.

"I don't know, we were running, and A was there, and there were gunshots, and Spencer fell, and-"

"Shhh, Aria, calm down." Hanna stroked my back soothingly.

"Spencer?" Emily asked softly, gently running her fingers through Spencer's hair.

"Aria, what happened?" Hanna asked eventually.

"When…when we got into the building…we walked into a room and-" My breath hitched. "Emily? What is that?" My hands were shaking.

Emily shot me a confused look, before glancing down. She had removed her fingers, and they were coated in a thin layer of blood.

"Oh my god…" She gasped, gently placing her fingers back through Spencer's hair.

"Guys, we need to get to a hospital, Spencer's bleeding." Emily choked. "She must have hit her head when she fell."

"Okay, let's go. Emily, do you have her?" Hanna asked. Emily nodded, her skin pale.

We walked back to the car, Emily carrying Spencer gently.

The drive to the hospital was silent, all of us were too scared to say anything. We were able to get Spencer into care immediately, and I watched as the nurses and doctors took her away while the three of us waited.

Emily was shaking, and Hanna was doing her best to calm her down. At one point Hanna looked at me, concerned, but I shook my head. Emily needed her more than I did.

Instead I pat her on the back gently. She was being so calm, which was out of character for her.

"You okay?" I asked her.

"Yeah." She muttered. "Are you?"

"Yeah." I nodded back. "I guess so."

A few hours later, the doctors came and informed us of everything. Spencer would be fine. She was blessed, and only got a concussion from the fall. Apparently she also had a cut on her leg, and I wondered what that could have been from.

I walked back over to Hanna after talking with the doctors.

"Is she okay?" She asked.

"Yeah. She's got a concussion, and a minor leg wound. She got lucky." I muttered. "He said we can go see her, if you want." I motioned to Emily, who was passed out from worrying so much.

Hanna shook the brunette softly, and Emily opened her eyes drowsily.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

"Nothing. We can go see her." I let her know. Emily nodded, and the three of us walked into the room.

Spencer glanced up as we walked in.

"Hey.." She muttered, obviously worn out.

"Hey Spence, how are you feeling?" Emily asked, as she grabbed Spencer's hand gently.

"I'm fine, it's no big deal." She laughed softly.

Hanna rolled her eyes.

"Spencer, what happened to your leg?" I asked. "I didn't recall anything happening to it."

"Oh that? It just got grazed when that maniac shooting everything." She said with a yawn.

"What?!" Emily panicked. "You were shot?!"

"Grazed…it's no big deal. Hey, are my parents here?" She asked, her voice starting to lose its affirmativeness.

"Not yet hon, they'll be here soon." Emily smiled.

"Okay." Spencer's eyes closed, and Emily leaned forward and kissed her forehead gently.

"Rest up Spence." She muttered, and the three of us left the room to discuss what had happened in that horrible building.


	3. And You Are?

**CHAPTER 3: And You Are?**

_HANNA'S POV: _

I closed the door behind me as the three of us left Spencer's room. We were all beyond relieved that Spencer had made it out alright.

Once we got back to the waiting room, Spencer's parents had arrived. Her mom spotted the three of us immediately and walked over while her husband talked to the doctor.

"What happened?" She asked, glancing between the three of us.

"Spencer and I were walking up by the woods when we thought we heard a noise and ran. Spencer tripped and hit her head, and so I drove her to the hospital. Emily and Hanna came up later to make sure she was alright." Aria lied smoothly.

"Okay. What were you doing out so late? She told me you two were going to study." Mrs. Hastings drilled. I glanced at Aria, waiting for her response.

"We did study, but I needed some night pictures for a photography class, and Spencer thought it would be best to head up by the woods away from the unnatural lighting of Rosewood." Aria explained.

"I see. Thank you girls. Did you get to go see her?" Mrs. Hastings asked.

"Yes, she's fine. She's asleep right now, but I'm sure when she wakes up they'll let you visit." Emily responded

Mrs. Hastings smiled. "Thank you. I'll go talk to Peter. Do your parents know you're here?" She asked

"Yes." I replied for all of us. It was true, we had texted our parents in the car, letting them know where we were headed.

Mrs. Hastings nodded before turning and walking back to her husband.

Aria's face fell as soon as Mrs. Hastings left, and she sighed.

"She is so intimidating, I don't know how Spencer can live with her..." Aria groaned.

I laughed, and patted her on the back.

"Since when did you get so good at lying?" Emily asked.

"I guess after all the drama with A started. I mean, I couldn't tell my parents I was chasing a sociopath I the middle of the night." Aria rolled her eyes.

"No kidding. You handled that better than I could have. You need to teach me your ways." I grinned. Aria laughed.

"Sure thing Hanna." She chuckled.

The three of us walked back to the chairs we were at before, and sat down.

"So Aria, what exactly happened at that warehouse?" Emily asked once we were seated.

Aria explained the story to us, including the part where A found them, and tried to shoot them.

"What was A doing in an abandoned asylum?" I wondered.

"I'm not sure. We were going to look for more clues, but once we found out what kind of a building we were in, I guess both of us kind of freaked." Aria explained.

"That's okay. I would have freaked out too." I reassured her.

"I can't believe A tried to shoot you..." Emily trailed off.

"I know. A has gotten more violent recently, it makes me wonder what A has planned." Aria fumbled with her fingers nervously.

"Whatever it is, it can't be good." I mumbled.

The two of them nodded, and we sat in silence, waiting until we could talk to Spencer again.

_SPENCER'S POV:_

When I woke up again, my friends had left. I mentally cursed myself for falling asleep when they were here. True, I knew I couldn't help it; I was on a lot of different pain medications. However, I still felt guilty that I wasn't able to stay awake longer and talk to them.

I groaned, and turned over until I faced the white plaster wall in front of me. I sighed, and closed my eyes once more when my mom walked in.

"Are you awake?" She asked.

"Yes." I rolled back over so I was lying on my back again.

"How are you feeling?" My mom walked in and stood next to my bed.

"I'm fine. Just tripped." I smiled. I didn't know what the girls had told my mom, but I knew they had most certainly lied to her. Or they were supposed to; my mom didn't need to know where we were.

"You really shouldn't have gone out in the middle of the night Spencer. I trust that you're smarter than that." She lectured me. I rolled my eyes, even though I knew this was going to be coming.

"I know, but it's going to be okay. I'm fine, I just hit my head a little too hard." I muttered.

"I know. Your father is in the waiting room filling out your paperwork. Would you like me to send your friends in?" She asked.

"Oh, sure." I nodded slowly, and watched as she walked out of the room. She may not show her love very well, but I knew she still cared.

I groaned as I sat up, my head still a bit sore.

"Spencer! Wassup?" Hanna yelled, as she burst through the door. I winced, the loud noise hurting my head even more, which was still somewhat sensitive.

"Hanna! Quiet!" Aria scolded.

"Oops. Sorry…" Hanna threw me an apologetic glance, but I waved her off.

"You're fine." I reassured her.

"How are you feeling?" Emily asked as she closed the door behind her.

"Like crap mostly." I sighed.

She walked up and grabbed my hand gently.

"Do you need anything?" Aria asked politely.

"Yeah, I need A turned into the police." I snapped sarcastically.

"I hear you." Hanna nodded, tossing me a thumbs up.

"No, I'm fine really. Just waiting until I can get out of here. We need to go back to that hellhole even if it is creepy. There could be some serious evidence that-"

"Spencer! You are _not _going back there!" Emily cried, gripping my hand tightly.

"Yeah, I agree with her. Besides, A probably moved everything from that building anyways, now that they know we found it." Aria pointed out.

I sighed and closed my eyes.

"This is so complicated…" I muttered.

"Hey, it's okay. Besides, you shouldn't go back there anyways, not until you're 100% recovered." Hanna mentioned.

"I guess so." I glanced up as I heard the door open.

"Mrs. Hastings?" The doctor asked as he stepped into the room.

"Yes?"

"I just wanted to let you know you're being discharged in two hours, your parents signed the release forms. Unless there's anything hurting that needs to be checked out-"

"Oh no, I'm good." I replied, smiling. "Just a bit of a headache, but I'm fine."

"That's great. I let your parents know what to do if things start to get worse, but other than that, I'll be back in a couple hours to pick you up." He mentioned, before closing the door.

I sighed, and flopped back on the bed, which made me wince. _Too soon._

"Spence! That's great news!" Aria smiled brightly.

"Yeah. You know, you guys can go home now that I'm being discharged." I pointed out.

"No, it's only for a few hours. Besides, I don't want to leave you here alone." Emily grinned.

"Ditto. Besides, it's boring as hell here." Hanna rolled her eyes, glancing around the room.

"You guys are too sweet." I murmured.

We hung around for about an hour and a half before the doctor had me put my normal clothes back on to be discharged.

"Here you go miss." He pulled up a wheelchair. I scoffed.

"I can walk thank you." I snapped.

"It's just common procedure." He smiled politely. I sighed, and obliged.

He wheeled me up front, where I was able to walk out and ride home with my parents. The ride was silent, mostly because my dad was busy driving, and my mom was on the phone with one of her clients.

When we got home, I walked straight up to my room, eager to get at my computer and continue scoping out the other places I had some information on. When I got to my room, I pulled my computer out and sat down at the foot of my bed.

I pulled open the files I had saved, and was about to proceed with my research, but when the file opened up, it was blank.

Panicking, I continued to pull up file after file, but each one had been wiped clean.

"Dammit!" I snapped, slamming my laptop shut. I had gotten so much information, but all of it was gone.

I stood up to take a shower, defeated, when I felt a sharp pain in my head.

I fell to my knees, and winced as the pain slowly dulled down.

_Sorry, that was my fault._

My eyes went wide, and I glanced around the room quickly, but there was no one there.

"What?" I asked aloud.

_I said sorry, it was….wait…you can hear me?_

I clutched my head, and curled up into a ball on the floor.

"W-who are you?"


	4. This Is Insanity

**Hey guys! I just wanted to let you know, this next chapter kind of clears things up a bit better. It's an odd idea, and concept as a warning. The idea came to me as I was sitting in Social Studies. Because we never do anything worth while in that class anyways, and because I have no life and Fanfiction has practically consumed the little shreds of life I did have.**

**Anyways, thank you to everyone who's already reviewed, and or favorited/followed. I must say, I was _not _expecting the number of followers to rise to the numbers it has in the time period given. You guys amaze me sometimes, and inspire me to continue what I've been doing. Keep being awesome fellow fanfiction users, and guests who also read this. I used to be a guest, and I realize just how important you are too. :)**

**I hope you enjoy this next chapter as much as I did writing it. If you have any questions regarding the story matter, and want me to explain things better, or just want to ask me random questions, feel free to PM me. Thanks again for all your support.**

**Keep Writing!**

**-Reyna**

**CHAPTER 4: This Is Insanity**

_SPENCER'S POV:_

"W-who are you?" I asked the person I apparently couldn't see. Was I going blind? Or crazy?

_You're not blind, don't worry._

Nope. Not blind, just crazy.

_You aren't crazy either._

"How can I hear you, but not see you, and not be considered crazy?" I snapped to the imaginary person I was conversing with.

_It's complicated. But you aren't crazy._

"How am I not crazy? I 'm hearing things that…never mind. This isn't real, I'm going to take a shower and when I finish you won't be here. I'm just tired…yeah." I said aloud, mostly to myself if anyone.

I walked into the shower, content that I wasn't hearing anything. I took as long of a shower as I wanted, the water felt nice, and it allowed me to get a better look at my leg.

The wound wasn't all that deep, but the water made it sting.

_That looks painful._

I growled, and ignored the voice echoing through my brain. This was too weird.

Once I felt the water start to turn cold again, I knew I had been in the shower long enough. I hopped out, and dried off before throwing on an old t-shirt that was four sizes too big.

I climbed into my bed, and pulled the covers over my legs. Propping myself up with a pillow, I grabbed a book and started to read.

_What are you reading?_

I sighed, and continued. If I ignore it enough…it will go away…

_I'm not sure that's how this works._

"Fine. You know what, why don't you shut up so I can read, and live a normal life okay?"

_I can't do that, I need you._

"You need me? For what? You don't even exist." I felt stupid talking to myself, but I was getting irritated.

_I need you to help me solve something._

"What do you mean?" I felt my voice grow more serious. This obviously wasn't something that was just going to stop.

_Well see, a couple years ago I was killed, but I was never able to see who it was that killed me. I want you to help me figure it out._

"As if. I can't help you with that, I have my own problems to solve. Besides, if you're dead, why am I talking to you?" I rolled my eyes, even though the voice couldn't see.

_I'm not sure. All I know was that I was wondering around the woods, and paused to sit on that rock. I enjoy looking at the old asylum from time to time. It reminds me of when I was in Radley, without bringing back the emotional trauma of actually seeing Radley. I guess that when you tripped over the rock, we…connected? _

I laughed bitterly. "I don't know how that's possible."

_I'm not sure either. I've been wandering Rosewood as a...spirit I guess… for a while now. I've walked through people more times than I can count, but for some reason, I didn't just go through you. We…connected almost. I know this because right now, I can hear you, I can feel you breathing, and I can see through your eyes._

"That's so creepy." I muttered. "Can you read my thoughts?"

_I'm not sure, try thinking about something._

I closed my eyes to focus, and thought as hard as I could about Emily.

_Oh, well you're thinking about your girlfriend right now._

I blushed, and shook my head. "This is insane."

_I agree. But you can't just tune me out, not now. I need you to help me. I guess you could say I'm a spirit stuck here. I don't know why, but maybe you can help. There must be a reason we connected._

"Maybe it was just dumb luck." I groaned.

_I doubt it. How is your head by the way? You fell pretty hard._

"It's none of your concern." I snapped.

_Fine. I'm sorry._

I sighed, and ran my fingers through my hair. This was getting weird, and I didn't know what to think about it.

_If you want to read I can be quiet._

"No, you're fine. I guess I don't have much of a choice do I." I murmured.

_I guess not. _

"So why were you at Radley?"

_I'd rather not talk about it. I know I'm not alive, but I still have memories, and feelings. Somehow._

"I understand." I sat in silence for a while.

"So how were you killed? I know that's a bad question, I guess I'm just curious." I asked.

_I'm not sure. As sad as that sounds. I was knocked unconscious, and when I woke up, I was in Rosewood in front of the church. At first I thought I dreamt it, but when I tried to run up to someone and ask them something, I went right through them. It took me a while to figure out I wasn't dreaming._

I nodded sympathetically. "I guess it must have been hard, realizing you were…you know."

_You can say dead Spencer. It's not a bad word._

"I know, it just seemed cruel at the time. Hey, how did you know my name when you first spoke to me?"

_I'm not sure. I just…knew. I wish I could explain it better._

"No, I get it. It's fine." I replied, still unsure of what exactly was happening.

_Are you going to go to bed? I can feel your weariness almost. It's weird, it's the first time I've felt anything physical. Feelings sure, but pain, or weariness just didn't appeal to me before._

"Weird. Yeah, I'm going to head to bed. I'm pretty tired." I got up and turned the lights off before climbing back into bed. I set my head onto the pillow and was about to close my eyes, when I thought of something.

"If…if I don't hear from you tomorrow, and for whatever reason you aren't…a part of me anymore, I just, wish you luck I guess." I muttered.

_Thanks Spencer._

I smiled.

"Say, I didn't catch your name. You didn't answer when I asked." I reminded her.

_I didn't? Oh I'm sorry. How rude of me._

"You're fine. I just...I'd like to call you something."

_I understand. In that case, I'll introduce myself._

_My name's Bethany. Bethany Young. _


	5. Spirit Talker

**CHAPTER 5: Spirit Talker**

_SPENCER'S POV:_

I sat up immediately, my head racing.

"You're…Bethany Young? As in _the _Bethany Young?" I asked, unable to believe what I was hearing.

_Yes….have you heard of me?_

"Of course I've heard of you! You took Alison's place when…" I stopped, unable to figure out how I was going to tell Bethany all that had happened when she was dead.

_Alison? You know Alison?_

"Yeah, we were friends for a long time. How well did you know Alison?" I asked.

_I knew her mom, Jessica. She came and visited me at Radley many times, she even took me off of Radley's property to ride horses. She had good intentions, but was very mean, and forceful. She was strange too, it was as if she wanted to make me her daughter._

"That's what I heard." I mentioned.

_Heard? What do you mean?_

I sighed. "I should probably slow down and explain things. If I tell you everything I know, will you be okay? I mean…I know how you died…" I gulped.

_What?! How do you know that?_

"Again, let me explain everything first. Are you okay with this?" I repeated, wanting to make sure I wouldn't have an angry spirit in my head.

_Absolutely. Tell me everything._

So I did. I told her about how Alison went missing, and how we found her body in Alison's backyard and thought it was her. I told her about A, and about all of the bad things that had been happening. I told her about all of the theories the four of us had, and all the information we'd uncovered. When I was finished, Bethany was silent.

"Are you okay?" I asked quietly.

_I guess. Was I really buried alive, by your…sister?_

I nodded, and then realized how stupid that was. "Yes, but she didn't know it was you. She was certain that you were Alison, and she just freaked out a little."

_I understand. _

I could tell Bethany was upset about what I had said, but I _did _warn her.

_So this A person, you think that's who knocked me out? That it was their idea all along to use me to replace Alison?_

I couldn't help but cringe at the bitterness in her voice. "I believe so yes. That's the only thing I can think of, I mean, you _were _wearing the same clothes as her."

_The clothes that horrible woman bought for me. I should have known she was evil._

"Wait, Mrs. Dilaurentis bought those clothes for you?"

_Yeah. She insisted that I wear them that night. I was supposed to come over to have dinner her, but on the way I got knocked out. _

"Why did she want you over for dinner if she knew Alison had friends over?" I asked, uncertain of what the woman's motives were.

_I'm not sure. I think she knew Alison was planning on leaving her, and wanted me to…replace her almost. It was pretty messed up. I guess I would have been asked to become her new "daughter", but I didn't have the chance. _

I thought on it for a minute. "Do you think Mrs. Dilaurentis had anything to do with that?" I asked.

_As much as I'd love to blame her, I doubt it. That night would have been the first night that I'd have been over to their house. She even insisted that I wear that yellow top and jeans. I didn't know she had bought another set for Alison, but I guess she had planned for me to look as much like her as possible._

"That's odd." I muttered. "I guess it was just coincidental."

_I guess. I know Alison had planned to run away that night anyways. She would write to me while I was in Radley, and told me about all the horrible things her mom had done. I guess it was just a coincidence that I…took her place in that grave. I know she hadn't planned it that way, Alison was just going to leave. She didn't intend to trick anyone, she just wanted to get out of there. She wanted to leave so bad, she didn't even tell you guys. It must have been hard once she realized that in Rosewood she was supposed to be dead. I can't imagine._

I shuddered. "That would have been pretty rough. I know it was hard for her to return to Rosewood, she had to make up some pretty tangled stories to get around law enforcement."

_That makes sense. Say, what happened to Mrs. Dilaurentis? Is she still in Rosewood._

I gulped nervously. "She uh, she was killed actually."

_Really? That's…that's too bad. _

"Yeah. She was buried the same way you were too, but she was buried in my yard instead.

_That's unfortunate. I bet Alison was upset, even if they weren't on the best of terms._

"She was. It was really tragic." I muttered, leaving some of the details out. I sighed, and ran my fingers through my hair.

"This is so messed up. Can we think on it later? If you're still here when I wake up. I'm pretty tired, and I know my mom is letting me stay home from school today, but it's still four in the morning." I murmured.

_Oh absolutely. You were in that hospital from nine to two, you deserve to rest._

"Thanks. Night…Bethany." I muttered, still unsure of how to deal with this new situation. I laid on the bed and closed my eyes, pulling the covers up to my chest.

_Goodnight Spencer. _

_EMILY'S POV:_

I yawned as I made my way down the hallway. As much as my mom wished I could have stayed home, I had a few tests today and needed to be here.

I looked up as I heard Aria and Hanna talking. They looked pretty tired too, and shot me a sympathetic smile as I walked up to them.

"Hey guys." I muttered.

"Hey Emily. Have you talked to Spencer yet today?" Aria asked.

"No, I figured she'd probably be sleeping at the moment." I mentioned.

"I wish I could be sleeping…" Hanna groaned.

"Don't we all." I glanced at my watch. "I have to get to class, but I'll catch you guys later. We're still driving to Spencer's house afterwards, right?" I asked.

"Of course." Aria smiled, and I walked off to my class.

The rest of the day seemed to drag by, and I had a hard time concentrating in any of my classes. When the dismissal bell finally rung, I caught up to Hanna in the hallway and we walked to my car.

"Say, where's Aria?" I asked.

"Right here, sorry, I had to get something from my locker." Aria huffed, as she caught up to us.

We drove to Spencer's house, everyone excited to see how she was doing. When we got there, Mrs. Hastings let us in. She had to leave for a client meeting, but assured us that if anything happened we were to call her.

I walked upstairs, Aria and Hanna trailing behind me. We opened Spencer's door, but didn't expect what we saw.

_SPENCER'S POV:_

When I woke up, it was almost time for school to get out. I stretched, and slipped out of bed. I was about to get dressed when I remembered Bethany.

"Are you…still there?" I asked hesitantly.

_You bet._

I sighed, almost relieved that she was. It wasn't that I completely enjoyed having her in my head, but she could prove to be a valuable asset to helping us find A.

I walked into the bathroom, and brushed my teeth.

"So, do you sleep?" I asked, curious.

_Not really. I just sit here. I can feel you dreaming, and I could probably…watch your dreams, but I didn't want to invade on your privacy._

"Oh, okay." I replied. I felt bad that she had to sit while I slept. "You can watch next time if you want. It may not make sense, you might see people you don't know, but I hate the idea of you sitting doing nothing."

_That's kind of you. I'll take that into consideration._

I grinned, and walked out of the bathroom. I sat down by my window, and sighed.

_It's a beautiful day outside._

I smiled. "It really is."

_Thank you, for not overreacting. I was actually pretty surprised at how well you took me being in your head._

I laughed.

"With a psycho killer after you, you get used to unexpected. Besides, I've spent time in Radley before too, and if they thought I was crazy enough to talk to invisible people, they probably would have kept me there.

_You were in Radley?_

"Yeah. I'd rather not talk about it just yet, but I was there." I explained.

_Oh I understand. Radely brings back memories for me too, as I'm sure it does for you._

"Yeah. Eddie was nice I guess. Did you know him? Eddie Lamb?"

_Kind of. I saw him around a few times yes, he seemed kind of silly, but he was always nice to everyone._

I laughed. "He was kind of silly sometimes. But he gave me extra pudding every once in a while, so that was pleasant."

_Pudding? Oh my gosh, that stuff was to die for. I'd go back to Radley just to get more._

I laughed, and was still laughing when I heard the door to my room open.

_ARIA'S POV:_

"Spencer?" I asked hesitantly.

When we walked into Spencer's room, we all expected her to be sitting in her bed. However, she was sitting by her window, laughing so hard she was almost crying.

"Oh, hey guys." She snapped out of it, and started to get up.

"No no, stay sitting." Emily assured her, as she walked over and sat next to Spencer.

"How are you feeling?" Hanna asked, sitting next to Emily. I sat down too, and the four of us made a small little circle on the floor.

"Much better." Spencer smiled.

"What were you laughing about?" I asked, slightly worried.

"Oh, nothing. I just thought of something funny." She replied.

"If you insist." Emily nodded back. We sat in silence for a few minutes before Hanna pulled a board game out of her purse.

"Want to play Monopoly?" She asked. "I brought it with me just in case." She smiled.

"That sounds wonderful." Emily replied. I nodded along, but Spencer sat in silence, staring off into space.

"Spence?" I asked.

"Oh! Sorry, what are we doing?" She questioned, snapping out of her haze.

"Monopoly. Join." Hanna stated bluntly. Spencer obliged, and picked up her piece.

I grabbed mine to play too, but kept glancing over at Spencer. Something just wasn't right….


	6. Distractions

**CHAPTER 6: Distractions **

_SPENCER'S POV:_

It was nice to play games with my friends, but I secretly still wanted to talk to Bethany. I know it may seem crazy, _I_ may seem crazy, but she was my closest chance to stopping A, and saving my friends. Besides, even though I'd only known her for such a short time, I found myself growing close to the kind person in my head. How could she ever have been to Radley? She was way too nice.

_Spencer it's your turn._

"Thanks." I muttered quietly. I had been thinking, and got distracted.

"Hanna? When did you gain so many properties?" I asked, surprised by the amount the blonde had piled up.

"I've had them a while Spencer. Pay attention. Unless of course…you don't want to play." Hanna quickly added.

"Oh no, it's cool." I rolled the dice and landed on the Go to Jail space.

"Dang it." I cursed under my breath, as I moved my piece to 'jail'.

"Haha, that's your third time this game!" Aria laughed.

"Don't remind me…" I sighed, a smile creeping onto my face.

The game took about an hour and a half to complete, Hanna being victorious by a huge number.

"Hanna, how do you win a strategy game, even though you hate strategy games?" Emily asked.

"It's just like one big shopping spree, that's all." Hanna smirked.

"You're insane." I muttered, laughing.

"But I love it." Hanna grinned.

Aria helped Hanna clean up the board game while I walked downstairs to grab snacks. It was already 5:30, but we weren't in the mood for a real big meal.

I grabbed a few bags of microwave popcorn and put them into the microwave, as well as grabbed a few bottles of water. I pulled the bag of pretzels out of the cabinet, and poured them into a bowl.

Once the popcorn was done, I opened it to pour it into a bowl as well, but a few drops of the scalding butter hit my hand, and I winced.

_You okay?_

"Oh yeah, I'm fine, it's no big deal." I murmured.

_If you say so. Did you enjoy Monopoly? It looked like you were having a good time, but I couldn't help but notice you kept thinking back to A…and about me. _

"I had fun yes. I guess I'm just so excited to work with you to find A, that I can't think about much else." I explained.

_Haha, I get it. You're cool. I'll go back to thinking some more, trying to remember details and such. If you need me I'll be here._

"Thanks." I smiled.

"For what?" Emily had walked down, and was standing by the fridge.

"Oh, thanks for coming to help me carry stuff." I saved myself quickly.

"Okay…" Emily trailed off, slightly concerned.

I smiled at her, trying to convince her everything was alright. She obviously bought it because she grabbed the bowl of popcorn and walked over to me.

"You were pretty quiet the whole game, are you okay?" Emily asked, worried.

"I was just thinking, that's all." I replied.

"What were you thinking about?" She questioned.

"I was just…I was thinking about A. You know me, always trying to figure everything out." I smiled nervously. I wasn't lying, but I wasn't telling her everything either.

Emily sighed, and set the popcorn bowl down.

"You worry too much Spencer." She frowned, wrapping her arms around my waist.

"Like you don't?" I laughed.

Emily rolled her eyes at me, and then pulled me into a kiss. I kissed her back passionately, and we moved closer together until our bodies were touching.

"EMILY AND SPENCER." Hanna's voice echoed through the house loudly.

"I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S TAKING SO LONG BUT IF YOU'RE IN THE MIDDLE OF A MAKE OUT SESSION, PLEASE STOP IT AND BRING UP THE FOOD!" She yelled down to us.

I broke away from Emily, and the two of us started laughing. I grabbed the bowl of pretzels, and the waters, and Emily grabbed the popcorn. We walked upstairs, and into my room.

"Finally, you two took _forever_." Hanna rolled her eyes, digging into the popcorn.

"It doesn't take two minutes to pop two bags of popcorn Hanna." Emily sighed.

"No, but it doesn't take six minutes either." She smirked at us, and I felt heat rise to my cheeks slightly.

"Hey, I'm all for team Spemily, but not if your friends are up here starving." Hanna grinned.

I laughed, and Emily rolled her eyes. Aria chuckled.

"So do you guys want to pop in a movie?" Aria asked after a while.

"That sounds great!" I agreed. We walked downstairs, and flipped on one of our favorite black and white movies.

I was watching it with them, but I kept getting distracted by my thoughts.

_Why don't you just pretend to go to the bathroom or something, if you're having such a hard time concentrating. We can talk then for a little while._

I nodded to myself, and dismissed myself from the room. No one cared, they were too busy watching the movie. Emily turned to ask me where I was going, but I just yold her I needed to use the restroom. She bought it easily; it wasn't a very odd thing to say.

I walked into the bathroom and shut the door.

"Sorry. I just, I felt really bad for leaving you. I mean, you have to just sit there." I said as soon as I was in privacy.

_Don't feel bad, I'm totally used to it. Besides, I enjoy watching you and your friends communicate. It reminds me of when I used to talk to Alison. _

I nodded.

"I still feel bad though.."

_Don't, really. Just pretend I'm not even here. Say, where is Alison?_

I gulped nervously, unable to explain this to Bethany, who used to be close friends with Alison.

"I guess we just grew apart." I replied.

_I know you don't like her anymore Spencer, I can tell what you're thinking. You feel guilty because before I died I was friends with her._

"I'm sorry, I just didn't want to hurt your feelings."

_No, you aren't. Besides, people change. I've been dead for about two years I think it was. I'm sure she's made some bad decisions in that time. Alison was always good at making bad decisions._

"What do you mean?" I asked, hesitant of what I might hear.

_Well, I remember the summer before that night, she was so worried she was pregnant. She told me about all the bad decisions she made regarding that situation, and I guess there's just been several. That's the best one I can think of at the moment._

I nodded.

"Yeah. We heard about the pregnancy rumor, but we never really knew much about it." I explained.

_It was pretty stupid. I felt bad for her, but turns out her monthly cycle was just late. She overreacted. Besides, even if she was pregnant, there would have been no way she'd keep it, and most likely no one would find out about it. She was always good at hiding what she didn't want found. _

I sighed. "You can say that again." I glanced down at my watch. I had been in here for about ten minutes.

"Shoot, I've got to get out of here before my friends start to worry." I muttered.

_You're fine. Just enjoy your movie. I know I was enjoying it. I haven't seen a movie in a while._

"Will do." I smiled, and exited the bathroom, remembering to fake flush the toilet and run the sink, just in case they were feeling observant today. As much as I hated sneaking around my friends, I had no choice. There was no way they'd understand the situation I was in.

"What took so long?" Emily asked.

"Nothing. I just kind of zoned out." I replied.

Emily nodded slowly, before turning back to the movie screen. I knew she thought something was up, but I was too busy thinking about what Bethany said.

_**She was always good at hiding what she didn't want found…**_


	7. Suspicion is Arising

**Hey guys, I am so sorry for taking so long to post this next chapter. I was busy yes, but I also was just being lazy and put it off. It was completely irresponsible of me, and I should not have done that to you guys. You are very wonderful followers, and it was unfair to you to make you wait so long. Hopefully that won't happen in the future, but if something comes up that requires more of my focus, I'll try to let you guys know. I just feel that's fair to you guys as followers, reviewers, and readers. **

**Thanks again for sticking with me, even if it may have taken so long. In the future, if it's taking too long for me to post and I haven't given you a reasonable explanation as to why I haven't been updating, I give you each permission to PM me, telling me to get off my lazy ass and type. My being lazy is not fair to you as readers, and is inexcusable. **

**However, for now, enjoy the chapter I finally posted. **

**As always;**

_**Keep writing!**_

**-Reyna**

**CHAPTER 7: Suspicion Is Arising**

_EMILY'S POV:_

I watched as Spencer walked out of the bathroom.

"What took so long?" I asked. She had been in there a long time, and I wanted to make sure she was feeling okay.

"Nothing. I just kind of zoned out." She answered quietly.

I nodded, and turned back to the screen. Something was definitely up, but I knew she wouldn't tell me if something was wrong. I loved the girl, but she was very good at keeping her feelings hidden. I knew it was just how she was raised, and that showing feelings was a sign of weakness, but I wished she would have broken out of that phase by now.

I glanced over at her multiple times throughout the movie. She seemed to be pretty focused on the movie, although I did notice she would laugh every once in a while at something that wasn't particularly funny. Hanna and Aria didn't seem to notice, they were too engrossed in the film.

Once the movie was over, Hanna and Aria went home. It was late in the evening, and they had chores to do. Spencer had offered for me to spend the night, and I happily obliged. After the other two had left, I helped Spencer clean up the food and wipe down the tables.

Afterwards, we walked upstairs to get dressed.

"Here, I have a set of pajamas you can borrow." Spencer handed me a pair of pajamas, neatly folded.

"Thanks Spence." I smiled, slipping my jeans off.

"No problem." She smiled back, and finished putting her pajamas on. Once we were both ready for bed, we laid side by side on Spencer's mattress.

"Hey, are you okay Spence?" I asked softly. "You seemed pretty out of it earlier, and I just wanted to check in on you." I muttered.

She turned so she looked at me.

"I'm fine. I was just thinking that's all." She replied. I sighed.

"Please don't tell me you were stressing out about A that whole time." I groaned, worried for her.

She sighed, and rolled back over so her eyes were looking up at the ceiling.

"Spencer?" I asked.

"What?" She glanced at me. "You said you didn't want me to tell you." She smirked.

"Okay smart ass, you know what I meant." I huffed.

She chuckled. "I know. I'm sorry, I just couldn't think about anything else. Besides, I feel like I'm really close to finally…finally solving it all I guess." She muttered.

"You said that before you and Aria almost got killed." I reminded her.

"And I was right! If things hadn't gone so badly, we could have solved it! I mean, A was in that same building, we were obviously on the right track." She ranted.

I sighed, and moved closer to her until I was snuggled up in her side.

"I know, but…I could have lost you." I bit my lip.

"I'm here now." Spencer smiled at me, and wrapped her arm around my shoulder.

"So what all do you have figured out?" I asked her, curious.

"Oh…well, I'd rather not go into the details about it." She muttered nervously.

"What? Why not? It's all you've been thinking about for the past few hours, why not talk about it now?" I snapped.

"Shhh, calm down. It would just take too long, and I know you're tired, probably more tired than I am." She explained.

I sighed. "Sorry. You're right. I guess I just let myself worry too much." I yawned, and closed my eyes, snuggling into Spencer's side.

"Goodnight Emily, I love you." Spencer whispered, gently pressing her lips against my forehead for a second before removing them.

"Goodnight Spence…love you too…" I trailed off, falling asleep in minutes.

_SPENCER'S POV:_

I woke up early for whatever reason. I yawned, and glanced besides me. Emily was still asleep, curled into my side. She obviously was very tired, for she hadn't moved an inch all night. I gently removed myself from the bed, and walked over to my window, opening the blinds slowly, letting in little bits of light at a time. Once the blinds were fully opened, I walked into the bathroom to brush my teeth. Emily was still asleep, and I didn't want to wake her, so I brushed my teeth very quickly.

I scribbled a note on a piece of paper, and left it on the pillow next to Emily's head before walking downstairs to get breakfast going.

I hummed softly as I pulled the frying pan out of the cabinet, and placed it on the already warm stove. I reached into the fridge, and grabbed a few eggs, cracking them over the pan gently, before adding milk and cheese to the mix.

_Good morning Spencer…_

"Good morning Bethany." I muttered, unsure of who was awake or not.

_What are you cooking?_

"Scrambled eggs." I replied shortly, as I spread the eggs in the pan around.

_Looks good, I'm sure Emily will love them._

I felt my cheeks grow warm.

"Yeah, I'm sorry I forgot to tell you about us." I remembered.

_You're fine. I think it's pretty cute; you two obviously really love each other. I'm happy for you._

"Thanks." I smiled, scooping the eggs from the pan onto small plates. I heard footsteps walking down the stairs, and I glanced over there.

"Morning Emily." I greeted her. She walked over and yawned.

"How long have you been awake?" She asked, taking a seat at the island.

"Not long." I smiled, even though it had been a while. I didn't want to worry her, she got worried very easily.

"That's good." She smiled, and I handed her a plate with eggs on it. "You didn't have to make breakfast Spence…" She muttered.

"I wanted to." I smiled back, and sat next to her with my plate.

We ate mostly in silence; Emily wasn't awake yet, and I was busy listening to Bethany.

_I'm not sure when we'll be able to do some more research on this whole A thing, but I might have a few things that could assist you. _

I nodded slowly, making sure Emily wasn't looking.

_It's nothing major, I was just theorizing that's all._

I nodded again.

"Sounds good." I muttered quietly, hoping Emily wouldn't hear.

"Sorry, did you say something?" Emily turned and asked, shooting my hopes out the window.

"No, sorry, Just thinking out loud." I smiled nervously. Emily raised her eyebrow.

"You've been thinking a lot lately. Are you certain nothing's wrong? This is the last time I'll ask, I knew you hate me repeating questions." Emily sighed.

I shook my head.

"No, I'm fine. I promise." I smiled. It wasn't a lie, I really was fine. True I did have someone speaking to me through my head, but it wasn't causing me grief.

"Say, why don't we go shopping today? It'll maybe get you to stop thinking all the time, you're stressing yourself out." Emily suggested. I gulped nervously, I had already hoped to talk to Bethany about our theories today.

"Sorry, I would love to, but I have some stuff to get done. Maybe tomorrow?" I added, hoping that she wouldn't catch my lame excuse.

"Sounds perfect, I'll pick you up tomorrow, is that okay?" Emily offered.

"Wonderful, I can't wait." I let out the breath I didn't realize I was holding. I hated lying to my friends, but I couldn't let them know my plans, and I couldn't tell them about Bethany. Besides, it was for their benefit, so I guess it counted as a white lie almost.

_I'm sorry you had to lie to your girlfriend. _

"Emily, will you excuse me for a minute? I have to check in with my mom." I lied. Emily nodded, and continued eating. I stepped outside, and closed the door behind me.

"Bethany, it's not your fault. I _wanted _to talk to you today, so in a way I wasn't lying. Besides, this is much more important than some shopping trip, we might figure out who A is." I explained.

_I know, but I still feel as though I'm intruding on your life._

"Don't worry about it. It wasn't your fault, you didn't mean to come into my life. Besides, I enjoy talking to you." I smiled subconsciously.

_Okay. Why don't you head back in there before your girlfriend gets worried._

"Okay. She'll be leaving soon, so we can talk then. I look forward to it." I mentioned.

_Me too. I want to get to the bottom of this._

I nodded, and walked back inside.

"Everything go okay?" Emily asked. She had finished while I was outside, and was cleaning up the dishes.

I rushed over. "You don't have to do that, I can get it." I smiled. "And yes, everything went fine."

Emily nodded, but continued to wash the plates I had gotten out.

"Emily…" I started to grab the plates out of her hands but she smacked my hand away.

"You went to the trouble to make breakfast, the least I can do is help you with the dishes." She smirked.

"Fine." I sighed. I normally would argue longer, but I was ready for her to leave. I know it sounded absolutely rude of me, but I really needed to talk to Bethany, and I didn't want her mom to get worried either.

After everything was cleaned up, Emily left, promising to call me later. I grabbed my things from downstairs, and walked up to my room, closing the door behind me.

Once I set everything down, I walked over to my bookshelf and sat on the floor, pulling out my laptop. This research session was hopefully going to bring us the answers we needed to crack who A was.

I settled down, pulling open the files I had, before finally addressing Bethany's presence.

I smiled as everything I knew about A came up on the screen.

"Alright Bethany, let's talk."


	8. Fueling the Obsession

**CHAPTER 8: Fueling the Obsession**

_SPENCER'S POV:_

"Alright Bethany, let's talk." I muttered, scrolling through my informational folders to find my chart of every suspect we had.

As soon as I pulled it up, I could almost feel Bethany reading through it herself.

_This is impressive Spencer…_

"Thank you." I continued looking through, so that Bethany could read all of them as well.

_Why is Jason a suspect?_

"He was there the night you died, you must not have seen him. He also has some pretty suspicious things floating around him, such as his relation to our family amongst others." I explained easily. I had my facts memorized, I was more than ready to figure everything out.

_No, I did see him that night, but I didn't expect that he could be A. I guess I don't know him at the moment, but I just don't think he'd torment his sister or his sister's friends. Yes, I know he was rude to her, but they were still family._

I sighed. "I know, but we can't completely eliminate him, the whole family is pretty suspicious." I pointed out.

_That's true. Cece's on your list too?_

"Yes. She's pretty suspicious as well, and we don't see her often even though she was such great friends with Alison." I recalled. "Come to think of it, for them being so close, we don't know about her much at all. Besides, she was with Alison the summer she was gone, as well as the night before she died." I mentioned.

_I guess that's true. I just don't peg her as the stalker type. Her and Alison were close, but I don't think she would ever hurt you guys. She has no motive. If anything, the reason she was there that night was to help Alison get away. I remember Alison talking to me about her, and about how close they were. I doubt Cece would do anything to harm Alison, or her friends. _

"You have a good point, but I still don't understand why we haven't seen more of her, especially since Alison's back." I muttered.

_That is strange, I agree. However, maybe she's also scared of A. We don't really know for sure, but if she's so close to Alison, maybe she was targeted as well without you knowing about it. Maybe that's why you didn't see her much when Alison disappeared, she was hiding from A too. That, or she didn't want to be seen as a suspect when things went south after that night._

"You have a good point. I'll move her lower on the list for now, considering what you said." I edited the list I had made, before continuing to scroll.

_Why is Alison on the list?_

I paused, my fingers freezing from their point on the keyboard.

"Oh." I closed my eyes for a minute to focus.

_You don't have to be embarrassed, I don't know her anymore. She's probably forgotten about me too._

"I doubt that. I guess I just feel bad considering you two were so close."

_We weren't that close. She talked to me all the time, but I think part of that was because she felt bad for me. Either that or maybe her mother made her talk to me, and we just bonded. Her mother was always strange. _

"You don't think you guys are actually related do you?" I wondered.

_I doubt that. I mean, I don't remember much of my parents, I was in a bad state, and did a lot of bad things. My brain was kind of fogged up, and that's why I was sent to Radley. Come to think of it, I don't really remember my parents at all._

"We could always look into it if you wanted. It could bring us some clues." I pointed out.

_Yes, but how would we do that? We don't have access to records like that, and I can't simply go in for a blood test._

"No, but we can easily find a way to those files." My thoughts sprinted through my head, ideas lighting up like matches.

_Spencer no, it's too risky. Besides, I don't want you to get in trouble just so you can find out something about me. We're here for A, remember?_

"I know." I sighed. "But you don't get it, if we can connect you to Alison, we could possibly find a way to link you to A. What if you were a part of that family, and someone didn't want people knowing? It's worth a shot." I explained.

_I guess, but if anything starts to get too dangerous, I want you to stop okay?_

"I understand." I murmured. I wasn't afraid of facing the law if I knew I would uncover A in the process. I guess you could say it had become an obsession, but I didn't mind. It gave me something to think about, and the sooner I figured it out, the happier life I could have.

We scanned through lists and charts for hours. I explained every suspect I had, and we thought through every possible idea. Bethany didn't know most of the people, but I didn't blame her. She had been in Radley for a long time, and when she got out, it wasn't for long.

_It's getting late, your parents will be home soon. Do you want to stop?_

She was being polite, I knew she didn't need sleep.

"No, we can keep going." I assured her.

_Are you certain? I don't want your parents to find you working on this, nor do I want to deprive you from sleep._

"It's okay, really. I can get through this, we need to get through everything so that we can come up with the best ideas possible." I explained.

I was about to start talking about some of the places A's been, when my phone rang.

"Sorry Bethany, I should get that." I muttered.

_Don't apologize, I'm just a bystander, remember?_

I rolled my eyes and grabbed my phone. Emily's named flashed on the screen, and I sighed.

"Hello?"

"Spence, hi." I could tell she was smiling from the way she spoke. My heart fluttered in my chest, and I smiled. Hearing her voice made me feel wonderful.

"Are we still on for tomorrow?" She asked, curious.

"Of course!" I replied.

"Okay, cool! How does 2:00 sound. I can pick you up, and we can shop and then get dinner later." She suggested.

"That sounds great. I do have to be home by a decent time, it's a school night." I reminded her.

"Of course." She laughed. "I'll see to it you get home plenty early."

"Wonderful."

"I'll see you tomorrow then Spence. Love you!"

"Love you too." I muttered, already excited for tomorrow.

I set my phone down as she hung up, ready to return to researching.

_She's sweet._

I smiled. "Yeah, she's pretty wonderful."

_If you're planning to go out with her tomorrow, you should really get some rest tonight._

"I'm fine Bethany, I don't have to be ready to see her until 2, and even then, I thrive on little sleep." I laughed.

_Okay….but I'm worried about you a little bit. It's unhealthy to-_

"I get it, but it's fine, really. Now, if you don't mind, I need to tell you everything I know. Are you ready? It'll take a while…" I warned.

_I'm ready if you are._

"Good. Alright, so-"

I talked to her the rest of the night, finally falling asleep at 6 AM. My parents came home sometime in the night, but they must have assumed I was asleep. Bethany and I didn't get much further on theories, but she was informed of everything I knew, in extreme detail. I promised her that when I woke up, we could discuss ideas.

She didn't want me to worry about it, she thought I should just sleep and be done for a while, but I insisted. We were so close to catching A, that I could almost feel it. I needed this, more than I needed sleep or minor issues like that. She kept telling me she was worried, but I insisted that I was fine.

However, I had no idea what I had gotten myself into, nor did I have any idea just how much of an obsession I really had with solving this. Unfortunately, I thought I was so close to seeing the light, but I was really on a downward spiral that wouldn't cease until A was finally discovered.


	9. Eagerly Awaiting

**CHAPTER 9: Eagerly Awaiting**

_EMILY'S POV:_

I woke up ready to start the day. Just knowing I would get to spend the afternoon with the person I loved was more than enough to excite me.

I had already spent time arranging the outfit I would wear, but I hesitated to put it on. Was it too flashy, would she like it?

My mind was racing when my mom walked into my room.

"Hey honey, you're up earlier than normal." She noticed. It was still already 9:30, but I normally slept later on Sundays.

"Yeah, just couldn't sleep any longer I guess." I muttered nervously.

My mom walked over and saw me looking at the outfit I had laying on the floor neatly. She laughed, and handed me the shirts she had washed the other night.

"Honey, you could wear anything and she'd be happy." She mentioned to me, and I blushed a little.

"Are you sure?" I asked, curious.

"Absolutely. Don't worry about it." My mom winked at me before walking downstairs to prepare breakfast. I sighed happily.

I was glad my mom was so accepting, and I was also relieved. She was right, Spencer didn't care what I wore, she loved me anyways. I still wanted to impress her, but I didn't need to.

I smiled to myself, and set the shirts I had on my bed to hang up later. I grabbed the outfit I had already picked out, and walked into my bathroom.

An hour later, I was ready to go. It was only almost 11, but I was more than excited. My mom had made omelets for breakfast, and gave me some chores to do to get my mind off of the excitement I had built up.

"It's like you've never had a date." My mom smirked after I skipped down the stairs with the towels I was supposed to bring downstairs.

"Mom come on, don't tell me you weren't the same at our age!" I laughed.

She chuckled. "I wish I could say we weren't, but I think everyone is that way at your age." She smiled.

By the time it was 1:00, I could barely sit still. I was more than ready to see Spencer again, as well as go shopping. It was two things I loved combined into one, who wouldn't be excited?

_SPENCER'S POV:_

I woke up at 12:30, ready to discuss ideas with Bethany. I immediately walked back over to my computer, eager to proceed, as soon as I was fully awake.

_Don't you think you should get something to eat first?_

"I'm okay, but thank you Bethany." I muttered, scrolling through the stuff we had worked on the previous night.

_If you insist._

"Say Bethany, do you remember when visiting hours at Radley are?" I wondered.

_I'm not certain. When I was there they were from 8:30 to 4:00, but they might have changed since then._

"I doubt that, that place rarely alters things like that. Something about messing with patients schedules."

_That makes sense. What do you have in mind though…_

"I was thinking about getting in later, but I would rather do it during visiting hours so I have an excuse if someone asks me what I'm doing. People probably get lost there all the time." I explained.

_I guess that's something. But how are you going to get to the files? It's almost impossible to get around the nurses._

"I won't have to." I grinned. "I know a back door, and I have a friend that could help me get in without security knowing." I mentioned.

_You have a good plan, but it still seems really risky. Are you sure we should-_

"Yes, it will be fine. Don't worry."

We continued to talk about the plan, and I even called Caleb to get his input. He didn't mind helping me hack into the security system, escpecially since it was to stop A.

A chunk of time went by when my phone rang.

"Maybe it's Caleb…" I wondered aloud, before answering the call. I didn't bother to see who was calling me.

"Hello?" I asked.

"Spencer! I just wanted to call and let you know I'll be at your house in about twenty minutes to come get you."

I felt my breathing stop, and I gulped.

"Oh."


	10. Apologies and Assumptions

**Just as a warning, this chapter is mostly dialogue. I have to build things up properly before the fun stuff can happen, so thank you for dealing with the slower material. I promise things will get more heated later on, these conversations are just important to leading up to some more serious topics and ideas.**

**Thanks for everything!**

**_Keep Writing_**

**Reyna**

**CHAPTER 10: Apologies and Assumptions**

_EMILY'S POV:_

"Oh."

I felt my heart freeze, and I gaped at the empty space in front of me.

"You can't make it can you." I snapped.

"No, it's not that, I just-"

I sighed as Spencer struggled to come up with an excuse.

"You forgot." I said pointedly.

I heard her sigh on the other end, and I felt my heart break a little.

"I didn't mean to, I woke up late." She replied. I rolled my eyes.

"It's okay. I understand. We can always reschedule." I muttered.

"No Em, I shouldn't have forgotten." Spencer answered.

"No, you shouldn't have, but you did, and it's okay. Everyone forgets things, I forgive you." I tried to conceal my true emotions, but I could tell that she knew what I was really feeling.

"I'm sorry Em. I'll…call you later and we can reschedule. I'll make it up to you, I promise..." Spencer trailed off. "Love you Em."

"Yeah." I ended the call, and tossed my phone and car keys onto my bed. I pulled off my shoes, and the jacket I had ironed the night before. I shouldn't be this upset at her, it's only one date, and it wasn't super important.

I sighed and walked over to my window seat. I was about to change into something comfier when I realized; I shouldn't have had to get dressed up for nothing.

Pulling out my phone, and slipping my shoes back on, I dialed Hanna.

_HANNA'S POV:_

I was watching a movie on Netflix in my pajamas when I heard my phone go off across the room. I sighed, and contemplated ignoring the call, but figured it was probably something important. I got up slowly and walked over to where my purse was on the floor.

I pulled my phone out of my purse where it was left the night before, and placed it against my ear.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Hanna, do you want to go shopping today?" Emily's voice sounded from the other end.

I laughed. "I'm always up for shopping. Weren't you supposed to go shopping with Spencer though?" I asked, uncertain of what was happening.

"I'll tell you about it later." Emily muttered. I knew better than to pester the girl by asking more questions, and left it at that.

"Alright. What time?" I asked.

"Well, I'm already at your house…I kind of figured you'd say yes and just went ahead and came over." Emily replied guiltily.

"Wait, what?" I pulled open my blinds, and laughed as I saw Emily sitting in her car. She waved at me.

"You know me too well." I chuckled. "I'll be down in a few."

Of course it was more than a few, but I was still down after about ten minutes.

I hopped in Emily's car after telling my mom where I was headed, and we drove to the mall in silence. I wanted to ask her what was up, I could tell she was upset, but I figured I shouldn't stress it yet.

After a decent hour of shopping, laughing, and trying on clothes, my patience finally blew.

"Emily," I said once we got back in the car, some three hours later.

"What happened?" I asked.

She sighed, and bit her lip.

"It's really nothing…" She trailed off.

"Obviously it was nothing, it's eating you up I can tell. Spit it out." I demanded.

"Spencer forgot about our date today." She muttered.

"Really?" I was surprised. Spencer rarely forgot things.

"I know. It's unlike her. However, I shouldn't be so upset. It's only one time. I was just really excited." Emily mentioned.

"I understand. Did she tell you why she forgot?" I wondered.

"Not really. She was pretty vague." Emily groaned. She turned and looked me in the eye.

"Do you think something's up with her?" She asked me.

"Uh, I don't know?" I was surprised, I didn't expect that from her.

"She's just been so quiet, and distracted lately. I'm worried about her." Emily sighed.

"I don't know Em, but if you want I can talk to her." I suggested.

"That's okay. You don't have to, I'm probably overreacting." Emily muttered.

"No, I've noticed it too know that I think about it." I replied. "Something must be up with her. I would ask her about it, but you and Aria probably have the best luck." I pointed out.

Emily sighed. "I guess that's true. She probably thinks I'm mad at her though…maybe I'll ask Aria to check in on her tomorrow at school."

"Sounds like a plan." I grinned. Emily was still a bit down about Spencer missing their date, but I could tell she was in a better mood than she was before.

She dropped me off at my house, and I thanked her for the invitation.

"Are you going to call Aria?" I asked.

"Yeah, I'll call her when I get home. Are you sure I'm not overreacting?" She double-checked, obviously worried about angering Spencer if she assumed something was wrong.

"I'm sure. She's just not herself. Maybe she's still recovering from the incident with A, but I think it's something more. You should check it out, just to be safe. Besides, she's your girlfriend, she can't get mad at you for caring." I reassured the stressed brunette in front of me.

Emily sighed.

"Thanks Hanna. You're the best." She grinned, and I waved as she drove off.

I sighed as I walked back into my house, hoping everything would turn out for the better.

_EMILY'S POV:_

When I got home, I pulled out my phone and called Aria. I wanted to call Spencer and check in on her, but I had to make sure I wasn't freaking out over nothing. I know Hanna told me I was fine, but I had to double-check.

"Hey Em, what's up?" Aria's voice rang from the other end of the phone line.

"Aria, I'm worried." I stated bluntly. I didn't want to waste time.

"I know." She chuckled. "You're worried about Spencer."

I gaped at the phone.

"How did you know?" I asked, uncertain of what sorcery my friend must be using.

"You're always worried about her. It's sweet." She replied, laughing. "Besides, she's been acting off lately, so I figured that you'd be extra worried than normal."

I sighed.

"You've noticed it too?" I asked her.

"Yeah. She's just...not here, mentally. She seems to be in another world at the moment, which is unusual for her." Aria mentioned.

I ran my fingers through my hair.

"Thanks for your input Aria. I think I'm going to call her and ask." I muttered.

"Wait, I thought you two were hanging out today? Did she go home already?" Aria wondered.

"No, she never came over. Apparently she forgot. Before you say anything, I've already forgiven her, it's okay." I added, hoping Aria wouldn't stress the issue.

"Okay. Still, something's definitely up. Good luck Emily. If anyone can break through her shell, you can." Aria muttered hopefully.

"Thanks." I hung up, and turned around to dial Spencer.

_SPENCER'S POV:_

After my conversation with Emily, I felt horrible. I was so wrapped up in my dealings with A, and Bethany, that I had forgotten something.

I cursed at myself, I normally wasn't so forgetful.

How could I have done this to her?

_Don't fret over it. She understands._

I sighed, and rubbed my temples.

"I know, but still, I feel horrible." I was about to continue talking when I heard my bedroom door open.

"Hey honey." My mom smiled at me from across the room.

"Hey mom, when did you get back?" I asked, uncertain.

"A little while ago. Who were you talking to?" She questioned.

"Emily." I spat out quickly. She nodded in consideration.

"Okay. Well your father and I will be upstairs, it's been a long few days, and we'd love some sleep." She glanced at me, hinting that I should stay quiet while they were catching up on needed sleep.

"Sounds good mom." I muttered, and she closed the door and walked into her room. I sighed.

_That was close. You're a good liar._

I sighed. "Yeah. It comes with practice."

Suddenly my phone started ringing from across the room. I sighed, and walked over to it.

Emily's name popped up on the screen, and I froze.

_Are you going to answer it?_

I sighed. "I don't know, she's probably still mad at me." I groaned.

_She'll be more mad if you ignore her._

I chuckled. "You are very right there Bethany."

I brought the phone to my ear, and pressed the accept button.

"Emily?"


	11. Something's Up

**CHAPTER 11: Something's Up**

_SPENCER'S POV:_

"Emily?"

I was uncertain as to why she was calling me, but I didn't want to hope for anything to be fixed.

"Hey Spence. I'm sorry for getting so mad at you earlier, I understand everyone forgets things, and you've had a stressful weekend. I shouldn't have expected so much, I mean, you were practically shot for goodness sakes!" Emily rambled from the other end of the line. While I appreciated her apology, considering it was me who should be apologizing, I knew she was trying to build up the courage to ask me something else.

"It's okay Emily. I'm the one who should be sorry. It was an ass move, I should have remembered." I muttered, still feeling bad about forgetting.

I sighed. "What do you want to ask?" I questioned.

"What? How do you know I wanted to ask you something?" She practically shrieked from the other end of the phone.

"I know you Em. So what is it?" I repeated, glad to be on somewhat good terms with her.

"Is something wrong?" She asked after a while. "I mean, did something happen? You just, aren't being yourself."

I gulped nervously.

"No. I'm fine Em, really." I assured her.

"Spencer, are you sure? You were really out of it the other day, and then you were forgetting things…are you sure something's not up?" She asked again, obviously certain something was different.

As much as I wanted to tell her about Bethany, I didn't know how to explain it without her freaking out.

"I'm fine, I promise. I've just been tired, and stressing out about things in life as usual." I chuckled anxiously.

"Okay…" Emily didn't sound completely certain, but she didn't push the issue. "I guess I'll leave you to it then. I'll see you tomorrow at school. I love you!"

"I love you too." I hung up the phone, and walked over to my bed where I laid down. I was _not _expecting her to be so forgiving of me, but I guess it was just in her nature. I sighed, and closed my eyes.

_You know you don't have to keep me a secret…_

Bethany's voice was quiet, and I could tell she felt bad for making my friends worry.

"You're fine Bethany." I muttered. "I know I can tell my friends, I guess I'm just worried they won't believe me."

_I understand. If they're really your friends you'd think they'd believe you, but I can see why they wouldn't._

I sighed, and turned over so I was curled up in a ball of warmth. I stared at the wall in front of me, thinking hard.

I didn't know what to do to keep my friends from worrying, and I felt horrible for lying to them. However, I just wanted to make sure that things with Bethany and I were solid so I could feel confident telling them.

I sat and made idle conversation with Bethany for about an hour or so before I realized it was getting late, and I should head to bed.

_What time do you get up for school?_ Bethany asked.

"I usually get up at 5:30, but school doesn't start until 8:00." I mentioned, heading to the bathroom to brush my teeth.

_Okay. I promise that I'll keep quiet during school, I'll preoccupy myself. I don't want you to get in trouble. Or caught talking to nothing by your friends._

I chuckled. "You're fine Bethany. Besides, I don't mind you talking to me. I may not be able to talk back, but you can tell me things if you want, I'll write a note to you on paper or something so we can converse. Most of the stuff we're learning in school is pretty easy anyways, so I can tune it out." I explained.

_If you're okay with that._

I nodded, and was about to crawl into bed when my mom opened my door.

"Who were you talking to?" My mom asked, curious.

"Emily." I replied quickly. I grabbed my phone from where it was lying behind me on my bed, and pretended to end the call with her.

"Love you Em!" I muttered into nothing. I could hear Bethany chuckling a little, but I didn't mind.

"Okay. Well if you're going to bed I'll leave you be. I just wanted to let you know that I'm glad you're feeling better, and I will have Melissa take you to school tomorrow if that's alright." She mentioned.

I nodded. "That's fine."

"Goodnight Spencer." My mom smiled, and closed the door.

I hopped into my bed, and closed my eyes, curling up into a small little ball. I smiled, glad that everything was going alright, apart from Emily and I's shaky relationship, and my friends worrying about me.

_Goodnight Spencer._

"Night.." I muttered, drifting off into dreamless sleep.

_ARIA'S POV:_

I couldn't help but think about my previous conversation with Emily as I was getting ready for school. She was right, Spencer _had _been acting strange, and neither of us had any idea as to why. Emily texted me earlier letting me know she had talked to Spencer, who had apparently said she was just stressed, but I didn't buy it. Something tells me Emily didn't either.

"Honey, you're going to be late if you don't get down here in about ten minutes!" My dad called from downstairs.

"I know! I'm on my way!" I yelled back brushing my hair away from my eyes. I ran downstairs and grabbed something quick to eat.

When we got to school, Spencer and Hanna were already there. Spencer seemed to be staring off into space where as Hanna was busy looking at her phone.

"Hey guys." I muttered as I approached them. Spencer turned and smiled at me, and Hanna waved me over.

"How are you?" Hanna asked, making polite conversation.

"I'm fine, how are you two?"

Spencer shrugged, and Hanna smiled.

"Good thanks." She glanced nervously at Spencer, clearly uncertain as to what the brunette was feeling.

"How's your head feeling?" I asked Spence. She shrugged again.

"It's better. Sometimes I'll get slightly dizzy, but my mom said it'll stop in a few days." She explained. I nodded.

"Well I'm glad." I turned as Emily walked up to us. She stood next to Spencer, and I was glad to see the two of them on good terms again.

When the bell rang for class, the four of us split and walked our separate ways. The first half of the day seemed to drag on, and I counted the seconds until lunch would start.

Lunch arriving after what seemed like forever, I walked into the cafeteria and sat at a small table where Hanna was already seated.

"I am so done with History." I muttered.

"I agree. Why do we need to learn about a bunch of old dead people?" She shook her head.

"It's important to learn about where you come from Hanna." Spencer mentioned, as she sat next to us.

"Whatever, I still don't care about it." Hanna grinned, making Spencer roll her eyes.

"Where's Em?" I asked, usually her and Spencer came together from their previous class.

"She had to stay behind to talk to the teacher." Spencer shrugged, obviously unsure of the reason behind it.

"So have you guys got anything threatening from A recently?" Hanna mentioned, almost humorously.

"Not recently. I think A's a little paranoid considering we found their hideout." I thought aloud.

"Oh, speaking of A, I did some thinking." Spencer brought up. I nodded, and Hanna leaned in to hear what the brunette had to say.

"I'm not certain of who A could be, but we've narrowed down A's new hiding spot to a few locations." She explained. I was uncertain of what she meant by 'we', but I figured maybe Em and her did some thinking together.

"Well? Let's hear it!" Hanna asked, ready to find out what Spencer had found.

"Well, we're uncertain, but I'm pretty sure A is either hiding out at an old fishing cabin up north from here. I mean, based on the clues I found, I would have to say it's worth a look." She mentioned.

"That sounds awesome." I smiled, glad to see Spencer working hard on this. However, I was also partially worried. How much time had she spent worrying about this?

"If you give us the address, Emily and I can go check it out tonight." Hanna suggested.

Spencer's eyes widened.

"Hell no, I'm not letting you two go alone. I'll come with you, strength in numbers." She added.

"What? You can't come, that's not fair. You were just shot at by A, you've done plenty Spencer, sit back and take a break." Hanna answered, sympathetically.

"No way, I'm coming along." Spencer insisted.

"Coming along where?" Emily asked, finally sitting down to join us.

"Em, you're here!" Hanna smiled.

"Yeah, I just had some questions about homework that's all." She glanced back and forth between the three of us.

"What were you discussing? Where are you going?" She asked, uncertain.

Spencer sighed, and looked Emily in the eyes.

"We're going to try and catch A."


	12. Wait, What?

**CHAPTER 12:Wait, What?**

_EMILY'S POV:_

"No." I snapped. I didn't care what happened, but I would not risk Spencer's life again. Last time was too close, I couldn't bear that again.

"Emily come on, I have to go along. I already know the place, I've looked at maps and blueprints. Besides, the more people, the more of an advantage we have." Spencer pleaded.

"Spencer I will not risk your safety. Not again." I insisted, keeping my tone cold. I couldn't fall to her begging, no matter how much I was willing to do whatever she said.

"Emily's right, you've already been put in danger." Aria muttered.

"Aria, you were shot at too!" Spencer argued. "Come on, if the four of us go, we might have more of a chance to finally end things."

I rolled my eyes.

"Spencer I don't think I'm okay-"

"Please Emily, after all the time I've put into this, I really want to end this." Spencer begged.

"Fine." I snapped. Spencer grinned triumphantly, and started talking to Hanna about the plans. I was pre-occupied however, because I noticed Spencer was acting strange.

First of all, I didn't realize she had put _that much time _into looking for A. I mean, we all were trying, but I worried about how much she obsessed over it.

Also, I was worried about her coming with us. I didn't want her getting hurt again, last time was almost too painful for me, and I felt horrible for not being there to help prevent her getting injured. I know I would be with her this time, but I still felt uneasy about the situation.

"Emily? Do you understand?" Hanna asked, noticing I wasn't paying attention.

"Absolutely, sorry." I muttered, even though I had no idea what they were talking about.

The rest of the day seemed to fly by, and I couldn't help but slowly let the stress build up inside me. Whenever we tried to trick A, it always went badly, and I didn't want something horrible to happen this time.

"Spencer are you sure you know what you're doing?" I asked as I drove her home. Her mom was busy with work, and I had offered to drive her home anyways.

"I'm positive. We spent hours looking over every possible backway and situation. Don't worry, it will be fine." Spencer assured me.

I nodded, but slowly turned back around to face her when I realized something.

"Who's this 'we' you mentioned?" I asked, anxiety building in my chest.

"Did I say we? My bad, I didn't mean it. I guess I was just thinking about the four of us, and it popped out of my mouth." Spencer muttered, and I could tell she was slightly nervous. However, I dismissed it as being worried about tonight.

"Okay." I replied with a smile. When we arrived at her house, I couldn't help but notice Spencer's eagerness to get inside. I was hoping it was just because she was anxious about tonight, and not because she didn't want to spend time with me. She didn't even kiss me goodbye like she normally did.

I watched as she closed the door behind her, and her dark hair disappeared behind the wooden door to her house. I sighed. Something just wasn't right.

_SPENCER'S POV:_

I groaned, and fell to the floor.

I couldn't believe I had allowed myself to slip up like that. I would have to be more careful with my pronouns from now on.

_I don't think it mattered, she didn't seem to worry too much._

"I know." I muttered. "But she still noticed it, and that could spark some worries in her head."

_Calm down Spencer. You've been uptight all day, take a break. You're going to need to calm down and get some rest before tonight anyways, if you want to be on your toes. The others are depending on you._

I sighed, and slowly got up and walked over to the couch. I tossed my backpack onto the floor, and collapsed onto the couch.

"Why do I feel so stressed?" I asked, not expecting an answer.

_I'm not sure. I think you're just thinking about this too much. Take a break, enjoy life, finding A can wait believe it or not._

"I just feel as though I'm responsible for getting you to…wherever spirits go. I think the only reason you were trapped on this earth is because A still hadn't been found, and I want to do my best to get you to wherever you're meant to be." I explained.

_I know, but you don't have to worry about it that much. As long as you take your time and figure it out, it'll be fine. I'm not in a rush to get going, I can wait a few extra weeks if I need to. I really don't mind._

I closed my eyes, and breathed out slowly. I was exhausted. I had spent many nights staying up late into the morning, looking through new ideas, loopholes, and possibilities for A. The time that I was asleep, I constantly had recurring dreams that were hauntingly vivid. Either way, my body was paying for the lack of decent sleep.

_Just take it easy for a little bit._

I nodded slowly, not bothering to open my eyes.

I didn't get to sleep for long when I heard a knock at my door. I glanced at my watch, it was already 6:15. We were supposed to go ahead and drive out to the fishing cabin at 6:20.

I got up slowly, running a hand through my hair. I yawned softly before opening the door, still tired.

"Ready to go Spence?" Hanna asked. Aria was driving us, and Emily was already in the car.

"Sure, let me get my stuff." I grabbed the backpack I had prepared the night before. Even if my friends didn't want to go to the cabin when I asked today, I was planned to go on my own anyways.

"Let's go."

Hanna and I walked down to the car, and got into the back seat.

"Ready guys?" Aria asked, and I handed her the map I had pre-printed off. Our route was highlighted.

"Thanks Spencer." Aria smiled.

We spent most of the drive going over what we knew about A, and about suspects. I told them about my theory with Jason, and how I didn't think he was guilty. However, Hanna and Emily were still pretty bent on that theory, and wouldn't budge.

I shared some of the new information Bethany and I had figured out, and we discussed more theories.

"Do you think it could have been Noel?" Aria piped up.

"I doubt it. While he wasn't fond of Alison, he wasn't related to Bethany, who I think was there for a reason. I'm just not sure why yet." I muttered.

"Well who do we know that knew Bethany?" Hanna asked.

"That would be Jason, Alison, Wren, Mrs. D, and Eddie." Emily listed. "The only person we have from that list pegged is Jason." Emily pointed out.

I groaned, still certain Jason had nothing to do with Bethany, based on what Bethany had told me. I was fairly certain it had more to do with Wren and Eddie, but I knew the girls wouldn't believe me considering the only proof was in my head.

"I'm not sure, but we can always figure it out later." I whispered, as we drew closer to the cabin. We parked a few car lengths away from the cabin. It was small, and creepy. The moon light shone off the lake the cabin was bordered on.

"How deep do you suspect that thing is?" Emily asked.

I glanced over and did a simple equation in my head. "Deep." I muttered.

I jumped as I saw a light flash on in the cabin.

"Is that A?" Hanna asked, visibly frightened.

"I'm not sure." I whispered. "There's only one way to find out."

I started to walk forward when Emily's hand grasped my shoulder.

"Spencer stop! Don't you dare. One of us will go in, I don't want you getting shot at again." She snapped softly.

I rolled my eyes, but didn't say anything.

We stayed low to the ground, and made our way up the steps to the front door.

"Isn't this a bit risky? Shouldn't we go around back?" Aria gulped.

"Yeah, or maybe we should come back another night, when A isn't here." Hanna muttered.

"I agree. It doesn't feel safe." Emily started to back up.

I sighed. "We need to do this now, the sooner the better." I groaned. I gently grabbed the door handle, and twisted it softly.

"Spencer stop!" Emily gasped, scared for my life.

Once the door handle was turned completely around, I pulled the small hunting knife I had brought out of my pocket. Taking a deep breath, I slammed the door open, and froze.

"Melissa?"


	13. What Are You Doing Here?

**CHAPTER 13: What Are You Doing Here?**

_SPENCER'S POV:_

Out of all of the people I expected to see in that cabin, Melissa was _not _one of them. However, as I quickly scanned the room, I noticed she wasn't alone.

"Wren?" My voice cracked. "What's going on?"

There was a bowl of popcorn on the floor, that had clearly fallen over when we opened the door, startling them. A couple of beer cans were sitting on the coffee table, and a movie was playing on the old rusted television set.

"Spencer, I can explain…" Melissa started.

"No, I don't understand, what are you doing here? And with _him_?" I shrieked.

"Spencer, calm down, it's okay." Melissa held her hands out in front of her, protectively.

"Are you two sleeping together?" I asked. Melissa's face heated up, and Wren looked down.

"You are aren't you." I snapped.

"Maybe we are, but either way, it's not something I'm ready to tell mom and dad. Can I explain first please?" She asked, and I sighed.

"Sorry guys." I turned to my friends. They all shrugged, and shot me confused glances.

"What's going on Melissa?" I demanded.

She sighed. "Wren and I have been dating for a while now, about a month now." She paused to let that sink in.

"We didn't want to inform mom and dad yet, especially considering what they think of Wren. They're still upset our wedding never happened, and I was worried about what they'd think of me dating him again. That's all. We've been hanging out here to catch up, but that's all." Melissa took a deep breath, finally finished.

"That's it?" I questioned. I probably could have used this situation to my advantage, to gain information on what she knew, but I didn't feel like it. I was just disappointed that Bethany and I had been wrong about A.

"Wait, how did you guys get here? Why are you here?" Melissa asked, her eyebrows raising in suspicion.

"We were just driving by on the way to a different coffee place when we saw the lights on, and wondered who it was. We didn't think anyone lived here." I lied. Despite the fact that I had lied to my sister, and lately my friends, I was pretty proud with how easily I could lie now.

Melissa remained silent for a minute, before buying our story.

"Okay." She sat down on the couch, and shook her head.

"Who's cabin is this by the way?" Aria piped up.

"It's mine." Wren mentioned. "Used to be my fathers, but he lets me use it."

I nodded. "Understandable."

I turned, and motioned to the other girls that we should leave.

"Spencer, you won't tell mom and dad will you?" Melissa asked, a hint of fear residing in her voice.

I paused, and thought on it a little.

"No, I won't." I smiled, and walked out of the cabin, closing the door behind me. As much as I wanted to use this as leverage to gain insight on what she knew, I knew it would be more beneficial to be on her good side. And that meant keeping this from mom and dad. No matter how much I would have enjoyed for her to get in trouble a little.

We walked back out to the car in silence. I was ashamed that I had led my friends to the dead end. I was so certain this was A's hiding spot considering what Bethany and I found out.

We climbed back into the car, and Aria turned the keys, starting the vehicle. The girls and I sat in silence for a while before I finally spoke.

"I'm sorry I let you down." I muttered.

"What? You didn't let us down!" Hanna spat back immediately.

"No Spence, you did nothing wrong. So maybe A hasn't been here, but you had a reason to suspect something. It just turned out differently than we thought." Aria leaned back and placed a hand on my arm supportively.

"I know, I just feel like I got your hopes up for nothing." I hung my head sheepishly.

"Spencer, stop. You didn't do anything wrong, you had no way of knowing it was your sister and Wren who had been hanging there. From the outside, it really did seem as though A had been there. It's completely understandable." Emily explained.

"Don't fret it." Hanna smiled. "At least you got us this far. I couldn't have even done that." She laughed.

"I agree. You had more of a lead than the three of us have had in the past month. Don't beat yourself up about it." Emily smiled.

"Okay. Let's get home." I smiled back. I still blamed myself, and couldn't wait to get home and further look into this issue. From the research I had gained, I was almost certain that A was housing there. Something must have been wrong. But what?

Aria drove us home, and we stopped at the coffee shop on the way back. I sat on the small sofa with Emily, while Aria went to get us all drinks. Hanna sat across from us on a petite chair.

"Here you go." Aria set the drinks on the table, and sat next to us in the chair next to the couch.

We sat and talked for a while, but I was soon itching to go home and research some more. I needed to solve this, for my friends sake, and for Bethany's sake.

"I'd love to stay, but I need to get home." I stood up.

"Okay. See you tomorrow at school." Aria smiled. Hanna nodded, but had coffee in her mouth.

I was about to walk out when Emily grabbed my arm.

"Hey, I'll see you tomorrow Spence." She smiled, and pecked me on the lips. I kissed her back, before ending the kiss shortly, needing to get home.

"Tomorrow." I smiled back, and closed the door, walking to the car.

_EMILY'S POV:_

I stood, frozen, as I watched Spencer walk out of the coffee shop. It was unlike her to end our kisses that soon, and I knew immediately that something was wrong. She just seemed so anxious to get out of the building. Did she not want to be around me? Was she seeing someone else?

"Emily?" Aria had walked up to me, and placed a hand on my shoulder.

"Are you okay?" She asked. I nodded, and followed her back to the sofa.

"Emily, are you sure?" Hanna asked, uncertain as to my strange behavior.

"I don't know, I'm just certain something is wrong." I admitted.

"She did seem awfully anxious to get out of here." Hanna pointed out.

"Yeah. She ended our kiss really soon too, and it just wasn't what it normally is. Almost as if she was annoyed that I had kissed her." I hung my head, unsure of how to handle what was happening. Aria got up and sat next to me, rubbing me on the back supportively.

"I'm sure she's just still upset that we didn't find A tonight." Aria mentioned. "She was so excited, and put so much effort into it. She was probably just disappointed."

"But why was she so eager to leave?" I questioned. Aria's answer made sense, but I still didn't understand why she wanted to go so badly.

"I'm not sure." Aria admitted, glancing away from me.

"You don't think she's seeing someone else do you?" I questioned.

"I doubt that." Hanna replied immediately. "Spencer's loyal beyond loyal. She'd never cheat on you. Besides, she loves you too much." Hanna smiled reassuringly.

"I guess you're right. She's just been acting weird lately." I sighed. "I don't know, maybe I'm overreacting."

"I don't think you are." Hanna muttered. "She's definitely hiding something."

"You think so?" Aria asked, uncertain of jumping to conclusions.

"I'm positive." Hanna replied coldly.

I buried my face in my hands. I felt Aria's hand on my back, and sighed.

"What could she possibly be hiding? She tells me everything." I groaned.

"I don't know Em. I don't know." Aria mumbled, and I closed my eyes, trying to wrap my brain around the problem sitting in front of me.


	14. Confrontation

**CHAPTER 14: Confrontation **

_SPENCER'S POV:_

It's been a week since our last attempt at catching A in the act. School had flown by, I wasn't paying much attention during class anyways. My grades weren't suffering a whole lot from it, apart from the occasional A- or B on assignments. My parents were worried however, my teachers had apparently called in, concerned for me, judging my recent behavior.

It wasn't that I didn't care about school, I was just constantly trying to wrap my brain around all of the possibilities for A. I knew now that I was dangerously obsessed with the process, but I embraced it. It was necessary for me to finally help Bethany, and my friends.

Bethany and I never knew when she was going to vanish from my head, and I wanted to make the most of the time I had with her before that happened. I needed what she knew, and it was nice to have someone with you all the time, who wasn't physically there. It was convenient, and I had grown close to the blonde. Despite the fact that she was dead, I really enjoyed her presence.

However, my gaining of a friend was starting to cause me to lose some others, one being my girlfriend. I had made excuses as to not hang out with her; I didn't want to waste valuable research time. However, I was at a stalemate. I couldn't seem to fit the pieces I had together, it just didn't make any sense.

Emily was certain something was wrong, but I brushed her off, as well as my other two friends. I desperately wanted them to know about Bethany, but I was still unsure of their reactions. Also, my anxiety about the possibility of them not understanding stopped me whenever I tried to mention it.

Eventually, after them questioning me and my behavior every time we got together, I stopped showing up when they called a gathering. I didn't want to go through another round of questions, especially since I could be doing more with my time. My parents had also picked up on my isolation, and were worried, but I insisted that I had school work to do. They never argued past that point, and it soon became a routine lie I used to avoid more questioning from my parents. However, I knew they were still somewhat worried, and I was careful to be cautious around them.

I sighed as I finished re-reading over all the A notes I had taken, for the fourteenth time that week. Nothing was adding up, and I couldn't pin the info gathered on one sole person. I tried to think of combinations of people working together, but I couldn't seem to crack that code either.

I tried to talk to Bethany more about Radley, but she was still uncertain, even though we'd gotten so close. Bethany did tell me however that most of her time in Radley was blacked out of her mind. She figured it was the heavy medication she was put on, though for what she never told me.

"Bethany, what are we going to do?" I muttered.

_I'm not sure. I've been constantly thinking about this, but I'm at the same spot you are. Nothing seems to add up._

"I don't get it. I mean, we've gotten this far, why are things difficult now?"

_Maybe we're analyzing the information too much. Maybe taking a glance from further away will simplify things._

"I guess you're right. I'm not sure how much longer I can do this. My friends are already paranoid about me." I sighed.

_I guess you could always tell them. I'm not certain of their reaction, but it would ease your stress._

"I just, I'm not sure I'm ready to tell them about us. It doesn't seem right." I closed my eyes, trying to think, when I heard my door open.

I glanced over, expecting to see my mom. However, I was wrong.

_EMILY'S POV:_

Something was wrong. I had been saying it for weeks, but I knew now that I was right. I hadn't seen or talked to Spencer in so long. She was at school, but she didn't sit with us during lunch anymore, and we no longer carpooled in the mornings.

She never returned any of my calls, and whenever I asked if she wanted to get together and hang out, she always had some excuse.

She was definitely avoiding me, and it wasn't just me either. Aria and Hanna also claimed they hadn't heard from her anymore either. It was strange, and despite the fact that I wanted her to just be busy, I knew that wasn't the case.

Aria insisted that Spencer would never cheat on me, but now I wasn't so sure. She had been avoiding all of us, and could never look me in the eye when we _did_ speak. She was definitely keeping something from me, and I was determined to find out what.

I guess that mentality is what led me to be standing in front of her house. I needed to speak to her. I didn't even bother calling, or texting, I figured if I just showed up, she'd have a harder time finding a way to avoid me.

I knocked on the door hesitantly. Her mother let me in with a smile, glad to see Spencer spending time with friends. I asked her mother what she meant, but Mrs. Hastings didn't really know herself.

"She's just been so swamped with homework lately, I'm glad to see she found time to hang with you though." Mrs. Hastings had said. This raised my suspicions also. Mrs. Hastings was obviously oblivious to the fact that Spencer never had homework, and had thought Spencer invited me over.

I didn't bother her any longer however, and walked upstairs to Spencer's room. I was about to head inside when I heard Spencer talking. Considering what Mrs. Hastings said, I figured she didn't have anyone in there with her, so she must be on the phone. I didn't want to snoop, but I was genuinely curious about who Spencer was talking to.

""I don't get it. I mean, we've gotten this far, why are things difficult now?" I heard her ask.

What did she mean? What was difficult? How far have they gotten in what, and with whom? My heart and mind raced, as I ran through the options in my head.

"I guess you're right. I'm not sure how much longer I can do this. My friends are already paranoid about me." I heard her sigh.

What? She can't do _what _any longer? I felt a few tears swell in my eyes when I thought of her having a secret relationship. Was she finally feeling guilty for cheating on me?

"I just, I'm not sure I'm ready to tell them about us. It doesn't seem right."

I covered my mouth before she could hear me gasp. She _was _cheating on me, and she didn't want me, or Aria and Hanna to find out. That's what it was. Biting my lip, anger and betrayal coursing through my blood, I opened the door.

Spencer turned around slowly, and her eyes widened at the sight of me. I was furious.

"How could you do this to me?" I asked through gritted teeth.

Spencer stood up hastily, and I saw her turn her laptop off. She walked over, confusion evident on her face.

"What do you mean? What did I do?" She asked.

"You should know." I snapped. "You're the one that cheated, not me."

"Cheated? On you?" She was clearly lost, and I rolled my eyes.

"Don't play dumb Spencer. Of course on me. That's why you've been avoiding me, and Aria, and Hanna. You've been making excuses, and I just heard you talking anyways. The jig is up Spencer, I know what you've been up to." I felt tears sting my eyes, but I blinked them back.

"How could you do this to me? I thought you loved me!" I cried.

"I _do _love you Emily! I never cheated on you I swear!" Spencer cried back, and I could tell she was being genuine,

"Then why? Why have you been avoiding me? And who were you talking to?" I demanded.

"I'm sorry I've been avoiding you. I've been so…obsessed with finding A….that I guess I put you guys aside. It was wrong of me." She muttered, and I was surprised.

"You've been hunting for A this whole time?" I was shocked, that was a shit load of research and a huge chunk of hours.

"Yes." Spencer replied softly, somewhat ashamed.

"But I never was cheating on you. I promise, I love you too much, I would never do that to you." Spencer looked up at me, confident in what she was saying.

I sighed.

"Who were you talking to?" I asked. Spencer fiddled her thumbs, and I could tell she didn't want to tell me.

"Spencer…." I urged.

"Bethany." She burst, almost as if it was hard to get off her chest.

"Bethany? Who the hell is Bethany?" I screamed, certain it was another girl she was into. She _was _cheating on me! I was right!

"Bethany, Bethany Young." Spencer muttered quietly, and I felt my skin pale at the mention of that name.

"What?"


	15. I'm Not Crazy

**CHAPTER 15: I'm Not Crazy**

_EMILY'S POV:_

"What?"

I was beyond confused.

"Spencer, please let's be serious here." I laughed nervously, certain she was just messing with me.

"I am being serious. I was talking to Bethany Young." Spencer looked me in the eye, her voice monotone and serious.

"Spencer, Bethany's dead." I walked forward slowly. Something wasn't right.

Spencer shied away from my movement.

"I know, but I'm still talking to her. When I fell on that rock at the asylum, we connected. Her spirit is in my head, talking to me. I know it sounds crazy, but I swear…" Spencer explained, her eyes wide with fear.

"Spencer, honey, I think you've been under a lot of stress lately and-"

I was trying to be sympathetic but she reacted harshly.

"No, I'm serious! Why don't you believe me?" She was starting to lose it, and get emotional. Clearly she hadn't been getting much sleep, and she seemed to be very stressed.

"Spencer, it just doesn't seem rational. I mean, come on, talking to dead people? That just doesn't happen." I pointed out.

"I know, that's why this is so strange." Spencer smiled oddly, and I was slightly creeped out.

I stepped forward hesitantly, and Spencer didn't move. I placed a hand on her shoulder. All the anger I had harbored earlier had faded, and was replaced with concern, deep concern.

"Spencer, why don't you sit down for a little bit…" I mentioned.

"No, I'm okay." Spencer shrugged my hand off, and walked over to pick up her laptop off the floor.

"Spencer, clearly you aren't feeling well…"

"Emily, I'm fine." She snapped, growing agitated.

"Spencer calm down, I just think you need to think through what you're saying." I reassured the stress case.

"I don't need to think it over, I'm telling you as it is. I can literally talk to Bethany, okay?" She growled.

"Spencer, as much as I want to believe you, it just doesn't make sense. Bethany's dead!" I cried out.

Spencer rolled her eyes, and sat on the floor, irritated.

I sat down in front of her, and grabbed her hands gently.

"Spencer, I think you're just tired and stressed right now, and that's causing you to think some crazy things. Maybe if you talked to Dr. Sullivan it would help." I suggested.

Spencer looked at me like I'd grown four heads.

"No! I'm not going crazy, I can really hear Bethany. I don't know how to explain it, but I'm not lying, or making it up. Emily you have to believe me." Spencer stared at me intensely.

"I'm sorry Spencer, I just don't think I can. Something's just not right, you need to see someone-"

"Get out." Spencer growled.

"W-what?" I was a bit taken back by her change in demeanor.

"You obviously don't believe me, and won't ever believe me. There's no point in you staying here." Spencer frowned.

"Don't…don't you just want to talk? I haven't seen you in forever!" I argued. Spencer sighed.

"Not if you're going to keep looking at me like I'm crazy." She snarled. I shut my mouth, and sighed.

"Fine." I snapped.

"I was just trying to help." I added, my voice less harsh.

"I know." Spencer mumbled sadly, and I stood up slowly. I was on my way out of the room, when I glanced back. Spencer was muttering to herself, and I couldn't help but feel my heart shatter. Something was clearly wrong with her mentally, and I felt horrible for not noticing sooner.

When I went downstairs, I decided to talk to her mom about it. I knew Spencer would fry me if she found out, but she needed help.

Her mom was definitely shocked, but took what I said deeply. She was upset that she hadn't noticed or considered it earlier, and thanked me for the information I gave her. She insisted I sit and wait while she did something. What she was going I didn't know, but I knew better than to meddle wither business.

"Emily, honey, would you mind calling Aria and Hanna over here?" She asked, holding the other end of the phone.

"Of course." I muttered, unsure as to why she needed them here. I was starting to get worried, but if it was to help Spencer, I knew it was okay.

After about thirty minutes, Mrs. Hastings was off the phone, and Hanna and Aria were here. I informed them of the information I had learned, and they were shocked as well.

"Will she be okay?" Aria asked, almost in tears she was so worried.

"I don't know." I replied honestly.

"Girls, thank you for getting here. I figured you should be here when I talk to Spencer, maybe help calm her down if she gets worked up." Mrs. Hastings said with a sad smile.

"Why would she get worked up?" Hanna asked, but Mrs. Hastings shook her head, and walked towards the stairs.

"Spencer? Honey? Would you come down here for a second?" She called. I heard Spencer's footsteps from upstairs as she walked down the steps, and I braced myself for what was to come.

"Sure mom, what do you need-" Her voice hitched as soon as she saw all of us.

"What's going on." She demanded, her face cold.

"Spencer, would you mind sitting down for a minute, we just want to talk." Her mom reassured her.

"No, you can tell me now." She shot glares of steel at me, and I flinched away from her glance.

"Spencer, your friends have informed me of some of your behaviors, and I've decided to take action. I'm sorry honey."

I glanced over at Aria and Hanna, a look of confusion spread across my face. What did Mrs. Hastings mean?

They looked back at me with the same expression, obviously unsure of where things were headed.

"What do you mean?" Spencer asked, her voice shaky, and her eyes wide with fear.

"Spencer, I'm going to need you to pack some of your stuff." Mrs. Hastings replied sternly.

"Wait, why?" Spencer asked once more.

"I'm sorry honey, but you can't stay here, you need help."

I gasped as I realized what was happening. I felt horrible for Spencer, but inside I knew it was what she needed.

"Mom what are you getting at?" Spencer seemed to be scared half to death. Her mom sighed sympathetically.

"I'm driving you over to Radley tonight honey. I've admitted you for schizophrenic behavior."


	16. I'm Back

**CHAPTER 16: I'm Back**

_SPENCER'S POV:_

My mouth fell open, and I gasped.

"What?!" I snapped. "You can't be serious."

Emily shot me a sympathetic glance, and I rolled my eyes.

"I'm sorry honey, but it's for the best." My mom sighed. "Now would you please go upstairs and pack some of your things."

"Mom, I don't understand, I'm not…I'm not…" I trailed off, tears forming in my eyes.

"Honey, it's for the best." My mom frowned. "Please Spencer, just bear with me okay? If things get better soon, you can come home I promise."

I rolled my eyes.

"Yeah right." I replied bitterly. My mom flinched back a little at my tone.

"Spencer…." Aria approached me but I backed up.

"Aria, you can't think that I'm…please…." I begged, but she looked at the ground.

"I'm not crazy!" I cried. My father sighed, and looked away, somewhat ashamed of me.

"We never said you were, I just think you need some help that's all." My mom insisted.

"Something's obviously not right-" Emily started.

"Shut up." I snapped at her, pissed that she had immediately betrayed me to my parents, and close friends. She flinched, and I could tell she was about to cry.

I looked away from her, and back to my mom.

"Mom please, just let me explain-"

"Spencer that's enough. I've already made my decision, and I need you to pack your things. Now." My mom was getting frustrated with me, and I sighed, realizing I wouldn't be able to change anything.

"Fine." I growled, and walked back upstairs. Once upstairs, I pulled my small duffle bag out of my closet, and angrily tossed some of my more personal belongings in it. A few books to read, my laptop and headphones, as well as a few other miscellaneous items made their way into the bag.

_Spencer I'm so sorry-_

"Just, please don't talk to me right now." I snapped.

I sighed, immediately regretting my tone.

"I'm sorry. It's not your fault, it's Emily's. If only she had just…just tried to believe me…" I frowned, and grabbed my bag once I was done.

_No I'm sorry. You shouldn't have to go back there._

"I'll deal." I said with a sad smile. I hoisted the bag over my shoulder and walked downstairs. My friends were talking over in the kitchen, but stopped as soon as I got downstairs. I didn't even want to know what they were talking about.

"Alright Spencer, if you want to say goodbye for now this is your chance. They won't be able to visit until-"

"Until the evaluation is complete. I know." I replied bitterly. My mom sighed, and took my bag from me. She walked out to the car as I walked over to my friends.

"Good luck with A." I muttered.

"Spencer…" Aria approached me, and I allowed the smaller girl to hug me. I hugged her back gently, before ending the hug. She smiled sadly, tears in her eyes as she backed up. Hanna came up and pat me on the shoulder sympathetically.

"It'll be okay." She smiled. "You're tough."

I smiled back. "Thanks."

I turned around to leave, when Emily walked up to me.

"Spencer, I'm sorry. I didn't know what your mom was going to do…"

I sighed, and turned back around.

"I know. I forgive you." I mumbled.

Emily smiled, and walked up to hug me but I held my hand out.

"Not yet. Sorry Em." I muttered, and walked out of the house. My mom was waiting in the car. I climbed into the car, and closed my eyes, waiting for the ride to be over.

_EMILY'S POV:_

I watched as Spencer walked out on me. I felt tears well in my eyes, and I turned to the other girls. Aria walked up and hugged me, and I fell into her embrace. Tears spilled, and I sobbed uncontrollably into her shoulder. At one point Hanna came up and was patting me on the back.

"Hey, shhh…" Aria muttered.

"What am I going to do?" I cried. "She hates me…"

"She does not hate you. She said she forgave you!" Hanna pointed out.

"She didn't mean it.." I buried my face into Aria's jacket.

"Oh come on, Spencer wouldn't say something like that if she didn't mean it." I could tell Hanna had rolled her eyes.

I took a deep breath and moved away from Aria. Wiping my eyes, I turned to look at the blonde.

"I guess you're right." I muttered.

Hanna nodded sympathetically. "It's going to be rough. We can't visit her for three days."

I sighed, and closed my eyes.

"Emily, it will be okay. She just needs some help, that's all." Aria rubbed my back supportively.

"I know, I'm just scared. She's already been there, and last time it messed with her head so badly. I'm just worried, she seemed so certain…she really thought she was talking to Bethany." I gulped.

"I bet she did. However, she's getting the help she needs, and everything will end for the better." Hanna mentioned.

We stayed in Spencer's kitchen for a while before Hanna insisted that the two of us stay the night at her house. We agreed, and drove over to her place. Hanna's mom had already been contacted about what had happened through Mrs. Hastings, and was sympathetic.

She brought us coffee, knowing we wouldn't be getting much sleep anyways.

Despite us hanging out, and sharing our opinions, I still felt really alone. I was worried that Spencer was still mad at me, and I was paranoid that something was going to happen to her in Radley. I didn't know what was going to happen, but the entire night, she was all I could think about.

_SPENCER'S POV:_

We arrived within twenty minutes of departure. I grabbed my bag, and followed my mom into the old building. The place gave me the chills, and I gulped nervously.

We met with the nurses for a few minutes, checking in and doing to simple run-through procedures. I went through a brief medical exam, and the nurses went through my stuff to make sure I hadn't brought anything damaging.

They wouldn't let me have my laptop, but said if my behavior improved, they would give it back as soon as possible. I was a bit angry, but I knew it was just protocol. They gave me a few pairs of the standard clothing, and led me to my room. It wasn't the same room I had last time, but they were all mostly the same. Luckily the one I was in had a window however, not all rooms had that as far as I was aware.

"Thank you." I muttered to the nurse, as she finished setting up my bed, and handed me the schedule.

She nodded, and walked out, leaving me to get settled. There wasn't much to do, the room was pretty bland. However, I pulled the items that had passed through the check and set them out. My books were placed on the small wooden desk I was given, as well as my notebooks. My other personal items were scattered around the room, to give it a more home like feeling.

Despite what my mother thought, and that I would be out sooner that I thought, I knew that was not the case. I knew I wasn't really crazy, but it was going to be harder to prove that to the staff here. Especially considering I really needed to talk to Bethany right now. She was all I had.

Once all my stuff was situated, the nurse came in and asked a few minor questions about medications, and if I was allergic to anything. She gave me a light sleep medication, and a glass of water. After making sure I had taken it, she walked out, leaving me alone. Or almost alone.

_This place hasn't really changed much since I was here.._

I nodded. "I'm sorry you have to see it again." I muttered.

_Don't be. It couldn't be helped. Besides, I have you, so I don't mind._

I smiled, and got changed into the pajamas they had provided.

"I'm going to get to bed, this medication will kick in in about five to fifteen minutes." I mentioned, slipping into bed. It was as uncomfortable as I remembered, but I didn't mind.

_Okay. Goodnight Spencer. _

"Goodnight Bethany." I muttered, closing my eyes.

It was the best I had slept in a long time.


	17. You're Talking to Who?

**Wow, we're almost to 20 chapters, I cannot believe it. This story has been hoards of fun to write, and I can't wait to continue with the next chapters. Radley is quite enjoyable to explore, I must admit. **

**This chapter is dedicated to everyone that's reviewed for me. I also dedicate this to my good friend pllisslifee13, who has been recently diving into the embarrassingly deep depths of some of my writing that may or may not have danced along the M rated maturity level. -_-**

**What are friends for right?**

**CHAPTER 17: You're Talking to **_**Who?**_

_HANNA'S POV:_

I woke up the next morning with a minor headache. Despite what my mom thought, we all ended up falling asleep at some point anyways, or most of us. I glanced over at Emily, who hadn't slept at all. She was sitting over by my window, staring off into her own world.

I sighed and walked over to her drowsily, wincing as my head throbbed with the sudden movement. I sat next to her, and we sat in silence for a while before I finally spoke.

"Morning Em." I said with a sleepy smile.

"Morning." She mumbled back, not bothering to avert her gaze.

"How are you doing?" I asked. I knew most of the answer, but I still thought it would be best if she let out some of her feelings.

"Okay I guess." Emily blinked slowly before turning to look at me. "It's just hard for me to imagine her there again. She's all alone…" Emily looked down at her hands that were fumbling with the folds of her pajama shirt.

"_You_ may think she's alone, but she doesn't think so." I pointed out. Emily rolled her eyes.

"I still can't believe she thinks she's talking to someone in her head. It just doesn't seem like her to believe something like that. She's so smart, and reasonable." Emily growled, irritated with the idea.

"I know. I guess that's just how these things work. Mental illnesses don't pick people. It couldn't be helped." I pointed out.

"I know, it's just strange to imagine Spencer talking to herself. And what about Bethany? Why on Earth would she think she's talking to Bethany of all people?" Emily cried softly. I placed my hand over hers, and held it sympathetically.

"I'm not sure. I wish I knew, I know you wish you knew also. However, I don't think we're going to find the answers sitting here. We'll just have to talk to Spencer about it when she's allowed visitors." I mentioned.

Emily sighed, and moved closer to me.

"Thanks Hanna." She muttered, leaning into my shoulder. I adjusted my body so she could find a more comfortably position.

"Anytime." I smiled, running my fingers through her hair to calm down the stressed girl. She yawned softly, and within minutes she was fast asleep.

I glanced out the window, and watched as the morning rain trickled down the windows. It was a peaceful sort of haze, but I couldn't enjoy it as much as I wished to. With Spencer gone, it was as if a part of my heart was missing. Our group just wasn't complete without her.

_SPENCER'S POV:_

I glanced around nervously as I was led to the small dayroom. The dusty old piano still sat across the room, but other than that the room was as dull as normal.

"You'll have to wait here for a few minutes before Dr. Sullivan gets here to talk with you." My nurse mentioned, as I was led towards the couch. I sat down, and leaned back as I waited for Dr. Sullivan. There weren't many people in the dayroom, just a few lost souls in the same boring outfit I was forced to wear.

I watched as a shady looking woman walked around the room, picking up random objects and placing them into her pockets. I couldn't help but chuckle to myself as another patient walked over to her table to find one of her pencils missing. The kleptomaniac had already walked off, and was sitting in a corner now, looking through all of the things she had managed to grab.

The younger girl, who I assumed suffered from paranoia, continued to freak out about her pencil until a nurse came by to walk her back to her room. The only other person besides the klepto and me in the room was a shorter girl with matted auburn hair. She seemed to be about my age, and I wondered why I hadn't seen her before. She was sitting at one of the tables, dragging her fingernails across her skin slowly, mumbling words to herself. Her eyes were red, and I wondered just how long she had been in Radley considering I had never come across her before.

_That's Mel, she was here when I was admitted._

"Really?" I whispered.

_Yeah. She's got a lot of things going on, she's probably been in Radley most of her life. According to one of the nurses, she was left out on the streets by her parents, and then her foster parents proved to be abusive. It's horrible really, she never quite got over the trauma. _

"That's unfortunate." I muttered, watching as the young girl glanced around the room, almost worried someone was going to come out of nowhere and hurt her. Her eyes fell on mine, and I gulped as I looked into the darkness that resided in her soul.

Who knows how long we would have continued to stare, but our gaze was broken when Dr. Sullivan sat down across from me.

"Hello Spencer, it's been a while." She smiled kindly.

"Not long enough." I muttered bitterly.

Dr. Sullivan sighed, and grabbed a folder with my name on it from her purse. I glanced back at Mel, to see what she was doing, but she wasn't there. She must have returned to her room already.

Dr. Sullivan caught my glance.

"That was Mel." She frowned. "She's a uh…difficult person to figure out. I've been trying for two years, but nothing I can do or say has helped."

"So I've heard." I mumbled before catching my mistake.

Dr. Sullivan raised an eyebrow at me curiously before continuing.

"Don't be discouraged. I may not be able to help her, but I can help you. I promise." Dr. Sullivan smiled.

"I don't need help." I snapped. "There's nothing wrong with me."

Dr. Sullivan leaned back in her chair, and pulled out a pencil.

"So it seems. However, your mother called me yesterday, she seemed very upset." Dr. Sullivan paused. "Spencer, is there anything you want to tell me?"

I rolled my eyes and folded my arms. There was no point in telling her anything, I was forced to be here for two more days anyways through regulation.

"Not really." I growled.

"Spencer, I'm not here to hurt you, I was just asking." Dr. Sullivan jotted down a few notes.

"Sorry." I muttered, even though I really didn't care. No matter what I said, no one was going to believe a word I said.

_Dr. Sullivan, do you know her? She's treating you like she knows you already…_

"When I was here last time she uh…helped me." I explained quietly to Bethany.

_I see. She must be newer. When I was here it was a different guy._

I nodded, and caught Dr. Sullivan looking at me curiously.

"Who are you talking to?" She asked me, pretending to be unaware of the person in my head.

"Bethany." I smiled, not caring to pretend I wasn't talking to anyone.

"Is Bethany a friend to you?" She questioned, taking more notes.

"Yeah, I consider her my friend. We haven't known each other for long, but I feel like I've known her my whole life." I admitted. I could almost feel Bethany smiling.

_You're my friend too Spencer._

"I see. Does Bethany ever ask you to do things you wouldn't normally want to do?" Dr. Sullivan glanced up at me from her papers.

"No….she would never do that." I chuckled nervously.

"That's good. Does she ever put you down, make you feel like hurting yourself?" She asked.

"Not at all, Bethany is too nice a person to do that." I snapped. "Why are you so convinced she's a bad person?"

"Calm down Spencer, these are just questions. I do not think she's a bad person, I just want to make sure there's not any personal risk." Dr. Sullivan smiled sweetly, but I glared at her.

"So Spencer, when did you first start hearing Bethany in your head?" She asked after a while of jotting down some notes or something on her paper.

"Well, that would have been a few weeks ago, when she entered my…body I guess you could say." I explained.

Dr. Sullivan looked at me, confused. "What do you mean?"

I sighed. "Well Bethany's uh…she's passed away. You should know that. Bethany Young, didn't you hear about her?" I asked.

Dr. Sullivan seemed taken back. "Bethany Young? I…I do know her yes. You think she's the one talking to you?"

I laughed. "No, I _know _she's talking to me."

"How do you know?" Dr. Sullivan was writing faster than normal, and I wondered what was so important about what I was saying.

"She told me." I rolled my eyes. "Isn't that kind of obvious?"

"They're just questions Spencer." Dr. Sullivan soothed.

"Anyways. When I fell and hit my head, we think she was able to enter my body. I don't really understand it, Bethany doesn't either, but we think that's what happened." I explained. "Since then, I've been able to talk to her."

"I see…" Dr. Sullivan sighed softly.

"Well Spencer, our time is up, but I will see you again tomorrow to continue this talk okay?" Dr. Sullivan stood up quietly.

"It's not like I have a choice." I muttered, getting up as well.

"Ms. Hastings, it's time for you to head back." My nurse had walked into the room, and was waiting for me.

I followed her out of the room, watching as Dr. Sullivan talked to one of the staff members in charge of prescriptions. They seemed to have a heated conversation, before Dr. Sullivan handed a signed slip of paper to the staff member. I would have loved to get closer and hear what she had to say, but my nurse kept me from doing so.

When I returned to my room, I sat down by the window. It was raining lightly outside, and it soothed me in a way.

_Dr. Sullivan didn't seem convinced you were telling the truth._

I sighed. "I didn't think she would. It's not as easy as you may think to convince people you're telling the truth."

"I'm sorry to interrupt you Ms. Hastings, but it's time for your medicine." A newer nurse, one I didn't recognize, came and handed me a small plastic cup with two blue pills in it, and another with water.

"Who are you?" I asked. "What happened to Eddie?" I was confused as to why the friendly nurse I knew wasn't here anymore.

"Eddie? He left a long time ago." The nurse smiled at me. "My name's Angie."

I nodded, and placed the two pills into my hands.

"What are these for?" I asked.

"It's just a small dosage of antipsychotic medication for treating schizophrenia." She stated, as if it was obvious. "They've been prescribed to you, but if you aren't going to take them I'm afraid I'll need to call someone."

"No, I was just curious, thank you." I smiled, and looked down at the circular blue objects.

"Schizophrenia…" I mumbled as I tossed the pills into my mouth and swallowed them. "Right…"


	18. Where I Need To Be

**CHAPTER 18: Where I Need To Be**

_ARIA'S POV:_

I grinned as we pulled into Radley's parking lot. It had been a full three days since Spencer had been admitted into Radley, and she had just cleared by Dr. Sullivan for visitors. Of course, the three of us drove over as soon as we could to see her, all very anxious and somewhat nervous.

None of us knew what kind of person we would see when we walked into the building. Sure it had only been a few days, but we all knew Radley was the kind of place that was quick to change people, and not always for the better.

I pulled out the keys and we walked into the somewhat haunting building. It brought back memories of when we came and visited her last time, and I took a shaky breath as I pushed the front door open. We were greeted by a receptionist, who was taking names and checking people's files.

"Hello? We're here to visit Spencer Hastings." Hanna spoke up to the woman sitting behind the counter. She glared at us suspiciously before pulling up something on her computer.

"You'll need these to get in, but otherwise take the elevator straight ahead of you, she's on floor three. If she's not available, you'll have to return another time." She droned, clearly tired of repeating the same thing multiple times to visitors.

"Thank you." I smiled, grabbing our badges. I clipped mine on, and then handed Hanna and Emily theirs. The three of us walked past the receptionist and up the elevator across the hall. Once we got up, the familiar dayroom greeted our eyes, and I turned and walked up to the nurse clad in white behind the counter.

"We're here to see Spencer Hastings." I explained, showing her our badges. The nurse nodded, and led us to the door of the dayroom.

"You're just in time, she's on her break. You have twenty minutes." The nurse smiled at us and we walked into the room. Spencer was standing by the window, staring outside.

"Guys, what if she's still mad at me?" Emily whispered harshly.

"Stop, she won't be mad at you." I reassured the girl. We walked over to our friend, who didn't seem to realize we were there.

"You have a valid point. However, I'm just not sure his alibi matches with this. We'll have to scope it out a bit more." Spencer muttered to what seemed to be no one.

"Spence?" Hanna stepped forward and placed her hand on the brunettes' shoulder. Spencer spun around rather quickly, and her wide eyes scanned the three of us. When her eyes fell on Emily she stiffened for a moment, but took a breath and looked down at the ground.

"I'll talk to you later." She muttered to the air, and returned her gaze to the three of us.

"Hey, do you want to sit?" She asked quietly, her voice sounding almost haunted.

"Sure." Hanna was the first to speak. I smiled, as the four of us sat down at one of the wooden tables.

"So how have you been?" I asked after we all were situated.

"Peachy." Spencer snapped back.

"Spence, calm down, we aren't here to accuse you of anything." I reassured the girl who looked ready to run at the drop of a hat.

"Oh I know." Spencer laughed harshly. "You've already done enough of that."

"Spencer!" Hanna was shocked, and I was too. We were _not _expecting her to be unwelcoming.

"If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't be here, and I would have already figured out more about A." Spencer rolled her eyes.

"Spencer, we are trying to help you, Emily thought it was best to tell your mother what was going on." Hanna pointed out.

"You sound like Dr. Sullivan, what if I don't need help?" Spencer snapped.

"Oh come on Spencer, you can't really believe you're talking to Bethany!? She's dead!" Hanna groaned.

Spencer stood up abruptly.

"She is dead, I know that! But that doesn't dismiss what I know." Spencer growled. The door to the sunroom opened, and a nurse stood in the entrance, giving Spencer a warning look. Spencer sat back down, and sighed.

"Sorry." She muttered, though to whom we didn't know.

"So Spencer, do you know when you're going to be getting back?" I intervened.

Spencer shook her head. "I have no idea."

"We miss you." Emily spoke up for the first time since we got here.

Spencer fumbled with her fingers, but shot Emily a sad smile. "I miss you too."

We talked idly about school, and gossip rumors about Noel and Alison before it was time for us to leave. I hugged Spencer on the way out quickly, as to catch up to Hanna who was still somewhat upset with how things had gone. Emily stuck behind.

_SPENCER'S POV:_

I watched my friends go, and felt somewhat sad. I missed them, even if they thought I was insane. I turned to look at Emily, who had stuck behind to say goodbye.

"I'll come visit tomorrow, I promise." Emily smiled, obviously nervous with how I would react. I didn't blame her, I was a little surprised at how I reacted to Hanna as well.

I stepped forward and pulled her into a hug. I felt her warm tears on my back, and I knew how much it hurt her to see me in here.

"I'll see you tomorrow." I mumbled, and she left to follow the others. I was pained to see them leaving, but I knew I wasn't alone.

_I'm sorry you have to be in here. It's my fault isn't it. _

"No, it's not your fault." I sighed. "I should have been more careful. However, maybe we can put our being here to good use." I smiled, a plan forming in my head.

_What do you mean? I don't want you to get into more trouble._

"Oh I won't. I just think that it might be ever so beneficial to take a look at a few old medical files. Nothing big." I grinned.

_Nothing big? You could get in serious trouble for that! I won't allow it, I don't want things to get dangerous for you._

"They won't. Besides, I'm here because I'm supposed to be crazy. If we get caught, I'll use it as my excuse." I laughed.

_Fine. But if things start to head south, you'll stop whatever you're doing. Promise?_

"I promise." I sighed. However, I knew that even if things got dangerous, I wouldn't be able to abandon my efforts. Not when I was so close.

_So how are we going to check Eddie's alibi? _

I sat down on the ground where I was, and ran my hands through my hair.

"I don't know. Everything we've pieced together recently about him adds up, I just don't know if he'd be capable of it. However, he did have access to patients and medical records, and he was here when you, Mona, and I were admitted. So far he's seeming pretty guilty." I muttered.

_Well, we have some time to think about it._

"No kidding." I laughed. The nurse came over a few minutes into our conversation and took me back to my room. Angie came in to bring me my medicine, which had been increased without my knowing. I asked Angie about it, but she didn't know.

"I'm not in charge of that." She had said. "They must think you need more to help."

I had taken the pills anyways, and sat by the window afterwards. They still hadn't given me my laptop, they weren't sure things were getting much better. I didn't blame them, I had been on medication, and yet no progress entailed. It wasn't ever going to work however; I wasn't schizophrenic to start with.

_Spencer, are you feeling alright? Your eyesight is getting blurry._

I blinked a few times to clear my eyes. "Yeah, I was just zoning a little. Sorry."

_It's okay. You've been zoning out a lot lately, is everything okay?_

"I guess. I think it's the medication. I'm not supposed to be taking it considering I don't have anything. I've been getting headaches lately too." I groaned.

_Maybe if you pretend to be better, you won't have to take it._

"I would do that, but I can't. We need access to those files, and with me being admitted, now is our best opportunity." I explained.

_I guess so. Just please don't make things harder on yourself. If anything, try to soften the impression to get the medication reduced. That might help._

"That's a good point. I can try, but I don't think much I can do will help anything." I mumbled. The medication I had just taken was starting to kick in, and I could feel my stomach getting a little sick. My head throbbed from the headache I had received this morning, and I moaned softly.

_Spencer?_

"I'm okay, just a little off." I groaned. I leaned up against the window and closed my eyes.

_If something hurts, you can tell the nurse._

"I'm fine." I snapped.

_Okay._

Bethany was obviously startled by my reaction, but I didn't mind. I just wanted to sit, and drain all of the extra noise from my head.

I knew Radley was going to be an experience, but I didn't think it would be this bad. It wasn't this bad when I was first here, but I wasn't on medication then, just observation. They didn't use to be so quick to hand out prescriptions, but I must have seemed really ill. It's funny how a while ago I would have freaked out at the thought of me being in Radley. Now, it was somewhat enjoyable to be alone, and not have to worry about hiding my conversations with Bethany. At the moment, Radley was where I needed to be, even if I wasn't crazy.

I laughed at the thought.

"Why do you think it's so easy for me to accept being in Radley?" I asked Bethany. "When I was first here, I wanted nothing more than to get out, but now I think I could stay and be happy." I sighed. She seemed to be thinking for a while before she answered.

_People change Spencer. People change._


	19. Discovered

**CHAPTER 19: Discovered**

_EMILY'S POV:_

After school, I went back to visit Spencer. Aria and Hanna didn't want to tag along, they thought it was best that I spend some time alone with her.

I still couldn't believe she thought she was talking to Bethany. You'd think the medication would have to have kicked in by now, but it didn't seem to be doing much.

Maybe she isn't really mentally ill….maybe she's telling the truth…

I shook my head and laughed at the thought. As much as I wanted Spencer to be right, and to not be hurting, I knew it wasn't possible. I sighed as I walked back into the dreary building.

The nurse checked me in, and walked me to Spencer's room.

"If you need anything, or if anything happens, I will be right outside." She smiled at me, and I walked inside the room. Spencer was sitting in the corner, holding her knees to her chest.

I walked over and sat down next to her immediately.

"What's wrong Spencer?" I asked, she seemed to be zoned off.

"Nothing." She smiled, but it was forced.

"Spencer, you can tell me." I insisted.

"I know, but look where it got me last time." She snapped. I nodded slowly, and looked at the ground.

"Valid point." I muttered.

Spencer frowned. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean that. I didn't even think it." She looked confused.

"It's okay Spencer." I placed my hand on her shoulder reassuringly. She didn't say anything.

"So how is Radley treating you?" I asked, even though I could figure it out for the most part.

Spencer laughed coldly. "It's like home away from home." She muttered sarcastically.

"I'm sorry, I wish you didn't have to be here alone."

She looked up at me with a pained smile.

"It's okay, it doesn't bother me. Besides, I'm not really alone." She looked at me.

I nodded.

"Do you want to go sit on the bed?" Spencer asked me. "It's more comfortable than the floor."

"That would be wonderful." I smiled, and turned around once I stood to help Spencer up. She took my hand gratefully.

"Thanks." She droned.

"Spencer, are you sure you're okay? You don't look so good." I mentioned.

"I'm fine really." Spencer insisted, but when she took a step forward, she stumbled.

"Spencer…" My voice was flooded with worry. I placed a hand on her back, and helped her walk over to her bed.

"What's going on? Are you hurt?" I asked as soon as we sat down on the mattress.

"No, I'm not hurt. It's just this medication they have me on, makes me light-headed." She groaned, rubbing her temples.

"I understand." I rubbed her back sympathetically. We sat in peaceful silence for a while longer before Spencer spoke up.

"Thank you for visiting me." She whispered, as she played with the ends of my hair.

"No need to thank me, I wouldn't turn down a chance to see you." I smiled, and she laughed.

"I'm sorry I got so mad at you." She rasped. "I wasn't thinking in your perspective, you were only doing what you thought was right."

"It's okay. It's like the time when you snuck up on Alison and I in that warehouse." I mentioned. "You were only worried, and I got mad at you. It happens to all of us." I reassured her.

"I guess so." Spencer turned and smiled at me. I felt overcome with joy, it was the first she'd truly smiled since I got here.

"I love you so much." I whispered without thinking.

Spencer laughed.

"I love you too." She grinned, and pecked me on the lips.

I tried to deepen the kiss, but she pulled away. I shot her a confused look.

Spencer pointed to the door, and I remembered the nurse that was standing outside in case things went badly.

"Right…." I chuckled.

"Emily, would you read to me?" Spencer asked suddenly. I was taken back.

"Yes…may I ask why though?" Spencer normally wanted to read on her own.

"I like listening to your voice, and my eyes aren't focusing well at the moment." She explained. My heart hurt from the pity I felt for her. The medication must really be messing with her.

"Of course." I smiled sweetly, and walked over to her desk. I was looking through her books when a slip of paper fell onto the floor.

I picked it up, and was about to put it away when I noticed Spencer's handwriting on the bottom. I carefully opened the slip of paper, and was shocked.

"Spencer, what the hell is this?" I demanded, walking over and shoving the paper into her hands. She struggled to focus on it for a minute, but her expression quickly changed.

"Oh." She muttered.

"Oh it right. When were you going to tell me about it?" I asked. "This is huge!"

Spencer shuffled her feet.

"You weren't ever going to tell me. Spencer, why? What is the meaning of all this?" I demanded once more.

"It's just a quick sketch of a plan…" She muttered.

"Spencer, you can't break into the file rooms!" I whispered harshly. I didn't want the nurse to hear.

"I know, but I need to! It could be the answer to finding who A is!" She explained.

"Spencer, I don't care! Is this why you've been talking to Bethany? So you could get sent here to get into the file rooms? Was this all a setup?" I cried.

"No! I really can hear Bethany, it was just chance that I was sent here. I didn't even consider the file rooms until yesterday." Spencer rasped.

"Okay." I sighed. "Spencer, I can't let you do this." I muttered.

"You can't tell me not to, I have to do it." Spencer insisted.

"I'm sorry, I just can't risk you getting into trouble, and having to stay here longer than you already do." I explained. "I can't bear seeing you in here."

"I know, but this needs to be done. It's imperative to finding A!" Spencer was growing frustrated.

"Spencer, you need to stop worrying about A. You're in Radley for god's sake, just focus on _you!_ You need to take care of you right now, not A." I sighed. "Spencer, I'm worried that this has grown into an obsession for you."

Spencer frowned. "It has not." She snapped, growing defensive immediately.

"Spencer, something is not right. You spend way too much time tracking down A, and now you're risking your safety! It's not okay, I won't let you." I snapped.

"Fine." Spencer growled at me, and I started to regret the tone I had used.

"Spencer I-"

"It's fine Emily. Say what you want, I will do what I please. You can't stop me." Spencer glared at me.

"Spence…."

"Just, please leave…" She turned away from me, and I sighed.

"Okay. I'll see you later." I walked out of the room, and the nurse let me out of the building. I felt tears fall from my eyes as I made my way to the car.

Everything was going so well…..


	20. This is Bad

**Hello, sorry it's taken me so long to write this next chapter. My dad recently replaced our computer, and I had to wait for all my files to transfer over safely. **

**However, things have started to pick up in this story, and I am excited for you to read this next chapter. It's not entirely eventful I warn you, but it's important, and leads up to the next few chapters. **

**For those of you worrying about Spemily, don't fret. I still have plans for them later on. Their relationship isn't going to stop I promise. **

**I won't keep you from it any longer. Enjoy the next chapter!**

_**Keep Writing**_

_**-**_**Reyna**

**CHAPTER 20: This is Bad**

_SPENCER'S POV:_

I watched Emily leave, and sighed.

_What happened? I thought everything was going so well._

"I thought so too." I muttered. "She just didn't approve of our plans."

_Oh. I see._

"It's okay. Things are still on schedule." I grabbed the slip of paper Emily had tossed onto the floor as she left, and placed it back in my book. My head hurt when I stood, and I blinked my eyes a couple times to rid myself of the pain.

_Will you be okay for tonight?_

I shrugged. "I hope so. We can't waste any more time."

I shut my mouth as Angie walked in with my medication.

"Hey Spencer. How are you feeling?" She asked as she handed me the cup with the pills.

"Okay." I responded, placing the pills on my tongue. I winced at the taste, but swallowed them with the water anyways.

"Are you sure? You aren't looking so hot." She walked up and placed her hand on my forehead.

"No fever, but you're really pale. I'll have another nurse come by and check on you later okay?" Angie offered sweetly.

"If you must." I sighed. Angie nodded.

"Why don't you get some rest, I'll have the nurse check on you in about an hour." She suggested.

"Alright." I watched as she walked out of the room, and proceeded to gather up the information I needed for tonight.

_Angie was right, you should rest. _

"I'm fine really. I need to get this done." I muttered.

_Spencer, please. _

"I think we should go over the plan once more, just to be safe." I insisted. Bethany sighed.

_If you insist._

By the time the nurse Angie sent came to check on me, we had just finished going over the plans. The nurse wasn't able to do much, and instead made a note to send me to the infirmary tomorrow to check things out more.

I didn't mind, I knew what was wrong. It was just that stupid medication.

Eventually I did rest, after much persuasion from Bethany. When I woke up, it was dark outside, and the moon shone through the window.

_Are you ready?_

I grinned. "I haven't been more ready."

I slid out of the bed, and walked over to the door. They usually had people walking around the building, and so they didn't bother locking the doors.

I opened the door slowly, and glanced around the hallway. No one was around at the moment, but voices could be heard from not too far away.

_You have to go now, they'll be back any time._

I nodded, and closed my door behind me. The dimly lit hallway was hard to see with my blurred vision, but I was able to find my way to the stairs anyways.

"Going down…" I mumbled as I opened the door and walked down the iron cast steps. I tread lightly to avoid making any more noise than necessary. When I reached the main floor, I glanced around nervously. There were security cameras by the reception desk, as well as a night guard standing right in front of the desk.

_Just remember what we discussed. _

I gulped, and slid my slipper off my foot. I tossed it across the hall from where I was, and watched as the slipper hit the floor with a loud thud. The security guard turned and walked towards the noise. I seized the chance and ran as quietly as I could towards the door to the basement.

Only when I closed the door behind me did I let myself take a breath. We had made it halfway there.

_Good job. Almost there._

I smiled, and walked down the concrete steps. The basement had an eerie feeling to it, and the worn down light bulbs flickered as I made my way to the file room. The cold concrete on the ground made me shiver, and I wished I had brought both my slippers instead of just the one.

I glanced at the doors I passed until I came to the desired location

_Is it locked?_

I nodded as I attempted to open the door. I pulled out the bobby pin I had snatched from Angie's pocket when she wasn't looking. She always had her hair up with them, and I figured she'd kept extras. I'd gotten lucky when my assumptions were correct.

I fumbled with the lock expertly until it clicked open.

"Experience." I murmured.

_I see._

I walked into the room, and flipped the lights on. I walked over to the file cabinets, which weren't locked.

"They really don't have the best security do they?" I laughed, as I slid one of the drawers open.

_They really don't._

I pulled the drawer labeled employees open.

"Wren's file isn't in here…." I muttered. "That's a shame."

_Maybe it would be in with volunteers, he never really worked here for pay._

"Good thinking." I smiled, and pulled that cabinet drawer open.

I slid his folder out with success, and opened it to look at the files within.

"There's not much on here that's suspicious." I muttered, skimming through the report.

_Wait, what about the last section of that page?_

I glanced where Bethany suggested.

"That's odd, it says here that he was given a suspension after being caught in the file rooms multiple times." I read aloud.

_What was he looking for here?_

"I'm not sure." I shrugged.

_Wait, look for my file._

"Yours? Okay…" I was surprised, but walked over to the other cabinet.

"Let's see, here it is." I pulled out the folder with her name on it, as well as a zip-lock bag with various tapes.

_Lay the tapes out, I want to make sure they're all there._

"Okay." I wasn't sure what Bethany was getting at, but I didn't argue. I laid the tapes out, and waited until Bethany told me what she was doing.

_It's gone._

"Wait, what?" I was surprised by her answer.

_The tape of me and Alison talking. They recorded all of my therapy sessions, and that was considered one of them. They taped us talking about…_

She trailed off, and my heart skipped a beat.

"Talking about what?"

_Talking about her relationship with Ian. That recording took place the summer before she 'went missing'. She had told me she was going to be leaving to spend that summer with Ian, and that I wouldn't see her until later that year. _

"Okay, but how is that important? Why does it matter that Wren may have taken it?" I asked.

_Did Alison never tell you? Wren always had a crush on Alison, and if he found out she was dating his friend, Ian, who knows what he would have done. He was always suspicious, and asked me about it whenever he had the chance, but I didn't know until that session. _

"Oh my gosh…" I gulped. "But Wren is dating Melissa right now!"

_I don't know, but if I were you I would try and get out of here as fast as possible to warn your sister._

"Good point. I need to get out of Radley, this is huge." I tossed all of Bethany's tapes back into the bag, and put away everything I had gotten out.

"All good…." I slurred.

_Spencer, you need to get back to your room. You aren't feeling well._

"I know." I groaned, and closed the door to the file rooms. I shivered as my bare feet made contact with the cold floor once more, and walked over to the steps.

I made it most of the way there, when a bright light shone in my face.

"What are you going down here?" The security guard asked. I gulped nervously, he must have come down here on his rounds.

"Hello Sir…." I muttered, my head pounding in my ears. I felt myself sway on my feet.

"Ma'am?" The guard walked over slowly, and placed his hands on my shoulders to steady me. "Are you alright?'

"I'm fine…" I droned, as black spots danced through my vision.

_Spencer? Spencer what's going on? You're eyes are getting really fuzzy, Spencer?!_

"Hello? This is Jeff, I've got a patient down here in the basement…."

What he said next I didn't know, for my body gave up on me, and I slipped into unconsciousness.


	21. Festering Worries

**CHAPTER 21: Festering Worries**

_EMILY'S POV:_

I was walking around my room, picking up small things, trying to keep my mind occupied. I desperately wanted to go see Spencer, but I knew she probably didn't want to see me. I sighed, hoping that she hadn't decided to go through with her plan. As much as I wanted to find who A was, she was already in a risky situation and didn't need to make it worse. I feared for her, and worried for her safety in that place.

I was still deciding whether or not to visit when my mom walked into my room with my laundry.

"Honey what's up?" She asked, setting my neatly folded clothes on my bed. I sighed, and sat next to her on my mattress.

"I'm just worried." I replied.

My mom smiled sympathetically.

"I understand. Why don't you go see her then?" She offered.

"I want to, but we left things off on bad terms yesterday…." I trailed off, embarrassed that I had gotten so mad at her. She was suffering enough in Radley, and I didn't make things any better.

"I see." My mom sighed. "Well, I know Spencer, and I know that no matter what is going on, she still loves you very much. Just as you love her. Go visit, I'm sure she's forgiven you. Even if she hasn't, you're doing the right thing by going to her. She's so alone in there, any company is welcomed."

I smiled, and gave my mom a hug as she slid off the bed.

"How did you get to be so wise?" I asked, as we parted from the embrace.

My mom laughed.

"I'm a mom, it's in my job description." She joked. I smiled warmly, and thanked her as she walked off to continue laundry.

I grabbed my keys and phone, and walked out to the car. Radley was a ten minute drive from my house, and the traffic wasn't bad. I walked up the pathway to the old door that led into the building. It still gave me the chills to walk through, but I didn't mind.

"Hello, my name is Emily, I'm here to visit Spencer Hastings." I muttered to the lady at the desk. She glanced up at me with a hint of recognition, before pressing a few things on her keyboard.

"I'm sorry, Spencer Hastings isn't allowed visitors right now. However, if you write your number down on the guest list, I can call you when it's okay for you to come by." The woman explained, in a robotic like tone.

I was surprised.

"Wait, why isn't she allowed visitors? She was allowed visitors yesterday." I was confused.

"I'm not allowed to give out information on what happened. Spencer has the right for things to remain private." The receptionist answered.

I sighed. "Please, just tell me what happened…..Kathy…" I muttered, reading off her name tag. "I'm her girlfriend, I love her, please, I just want to make sure she's okay." I pleaded.

Kathy sighed, and motioned for me to get closer. I leaned in over the desk.

"I heard they found her wandering around the basement hallways in the middle of the night. When the night guard walked up to her, she passed out. I wish I could tell you more, but that's all I know. If you're lucky, she'll be able to have visitors in about two days." Kathy explained.

I nodded, shocked with the new information.

"Thank you." I muttered shakily. Kathy nodded, and smiled sadly at me, understanding what I was feeling.

I walked out of the building, and texted Aria and Hanna. We needed to talk. They agreed to meet me for coffee, even though I was already shaken up as it was.

I got into my car, and drove away from Radley. As I glanced back in my mirror, I couldn't help but feel tears form in my eyes, as I hoped she would be okay.

_SPENCER'S POV:_

I blinked a few times before my eyes adjusted to the brightness of the fluorescent lights. I groaned, my head hurt, and I felt sick.

_Spencer?!_

I tried to sit up, but my vision swam, and my head throbbed. I rested my head back on the pillow.

"What happened…." I groaned.

"Spencer?" Angie was sitting in a chair across the room, filling out some kind of paperwork.

"Angie, what's going on?" I asked.

"Spencer, our night guard found you wandering around the basement last night. He said when he walked over to you, you seemed to be kind of out of it, and you passed out within minutes." Angie filled me in.

The night flashed back into my memory, and I felt my eyes widen when I remembered the discovery Bethany and I made.

"Wren!" I gasped, sitting up suddenly. I winced at the pain, but continued to attempt to get out of the bed. Angie rushed to my side immediately.

"Whoa, where do you think you're going?" She asked, concern flooding her voice.

"I need to talk to Dr. Sullivan, I know who A is." I explained rashly. I felt my feet touch the cold tile floor as I got out of the bed. Angie grabbed my arms to steady me, but wasn't letting me continue walking forward.

"Spencer, you can talk to Dr. Sullivan later, you need to get back into bed. You aren't feeling well. I think you were having some sort of reaction to the medication." Angie mentioned.

"It wasn't a reaction, I didn't have schizophrenia in the first place." I snapped, annoyed. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to see Dr. Sullivan, this is an emergency, she needs to know. She needs to warn them." I tried to push past Angie, but my strength failed me.

"Spencer honey, the nurses have you on a sedation, you can't go anywhere. I'll tell you what, if you get back in bed and sleep for a while longer, I'll get Dr. Sullivan to come in here." Angie explained sweetly. However, I could tell by her tone that she thought I was nuts. I almost laughed, I probably looked crazy.

"I can't waste any time Angie, this is important. A is going to hurt them, you need to let me warn her and my friends." I pleaded.

I saw Angie press a small button on her communication device on her waist. I knew she was probably calling another nurse in, but I didn't care. I _needed _to warn Melissa, and Dr. Sullivan.

My assumptions correct, another nurse walked in.

"Spencer, please just get back in bed. You can talk to Dr. Sullivan as soon as you wake up I promise." Angie soothed.

I rolled my eyes, and stepped closer to Angie. The other nurse came behind me, and I could feel her breathing on my neck, but I dismissed it.

"Don't make promises you can't keep." I grinned. Angie seemed frightened, and I didn't blame her. I could feel the sanity slipping away from me. I felt myself tense up as a sharp prick was felt in my left arm. My muscles relaxing, I closed my eyes, and fell back into the darkness of sleep.

_ARIA'S POV:_

I watched as Emily walked into the building. She seemed stressed out of her mind, and I wondered if coffee was really the smartest choice.

"Emily, what happened? What's wrong?" I asked. Hanna wasn't here yet, but I felt that if Emily waited for her, she would explode.

"It's Spencer. She was trying to find information on A. She broke into the files rooms last night." Emily spewed.

"Oh no." I could feel something was wrong.

"Oh no is right. The worst part isn't that, but the medication they have her on is messing with her. The receptionist told me they found her in a haze, and she passed out on them. Aria, if she didn't seem crazy before, she really does now. I'm worried." Emily admitted.

I nodded, and rubbed my hand across Emily's back in a soothing manner.

"It'll be okay." I muttered. There wasn't much else I could say, the entire situation was messed up.

"Do you think she found anything?" I asked after a while.

Emily, who had calmed down a little, turned and looked me in the eyes.

"We'll have to wait and see."


	22. Before It's Too Late

**CHAPTER 22: Before It's Too Late**

_SPENCER'S POV:_

When I woke up, I was still in the same bright room. It was as if nothing had happened, but considering Dr. Sullivan was sitting across the room instead of Angie, I knew a decent chunk of time had passed.

"Spencer, it's always a pleasure." Dr. Sullivan smiled, but I could tell she was concerned.

I sat up in the bed, and turned to Angie, who was standing next to me.

"You kept your promise…" I was somewhat surprised. "Thanks."

"Of course." Angie smiled, and headed towards the door. "I'll leave you two."

I nodded as she closed the door behind her. Dr. Sullivan glanced at me, and I waited for her to make the initiative.

"So Spencer, Angie contacted me the other day and-"

"The other day?" I panicked. "I was out for a whole day?"

Dr. Sullivan stood up and made her way over to my bed.

"Spencer, calm down, it's okay." She soothed.

"No it's not! That's one more day we've lost! I need to contact my sister, and my friends." I demanded.

"You will, but first, I need to sit and talk to you. That's what you wanted yesterday, wasn't it?" She asked. I could tell she was a little freaked out by my sudden outburst, but I didn't mind.

"Yes. I needed to tell you something important, and you _must _pass it on to my friends." I insisted. Dr. Sullivan nodded.

"I know who A is." I grinned. Dr. Sullivan's eyes widened, and she looked at me, uncertain.

"You do?"

"Yes, it's Wren. Wren Kingston." I muttered, triumphantly.

"Wren?" Dr. Sullivan seemed to be uncertain with my answer. "Spencer, that's impossible. Wren is a nice guy, he worked here for a while."

I laughed. "Until he attempted to steal files from the file room."

Dr. Sullivan paused.

"How do you know about that? That's confidential." She seemed surprised.

"Bethany told me. She thinks he stole one of the tapes of her meetings with Alison." I explained.

Dr. Sullivan was writing things down like a mad woman, and I wondered just what was so interesting about my conversation.

"Dr. Sullivan, can I please call my friends and sister, I need to warn them about Wren." I insisted.

"That won't be necessary." Dr. Sullivan stood up and grabbed her things.

"What do you mean?"

"Spencer, I don't know how you know about the file incident, but I think you need to put A out of your mind. You've formed an obsession with this process, and your mind is trying to latch onto anyone who could possibly be your person. You have no proof, and I'm sorry to say that you don't seem to be in your best mindset. Why don't you sit and rest for a while, and I'll see if I can get one of your friends to come over and visit. Is that okay?" Dr. Sullivan asked.

I was furious, she refused to take what I had to say seriously. She didn't even consider my ideas to be factual.

"Dr. Sullivan I can explain I-" I paused as I saw the side of her clipboard. The letter A was engraved in the back, and a small piece of paper with a note was attatched underneath it.

**_If only you had kept your mouth shut. _**

"Spencer, that is quite enough. I don't want to hear anything else about your accusations. I think, you just need to forget about A for a little while. Ease your mind." Dr. Sullivan broke my thoughts with a forced smile.

I glanced at her as she started to walk out the door. I happened to catch a glimpse of her clipboard, and I was shocked. She had me marked down for another two months in Radley. I couldn't help but feel overwhelmed. I just needed to get to my friends and let them know what was going on, before it was too late.

"I'm sorry Dr. Sullivan, but I _need _to talk to my friends. I _need _to stop this before something bad happens to the people I love." I walked over to her, and stood until my back was to the door out.

"Spencer…"

"Please forgive me." I requested, and turned and ran. I shot out the door, and turned to run down the hall. I wasn't sure where I was at the moment, but I didn't care. I needed to get to my friends before A got to them first. A had eyes everywhere, and knew that I had figured it out. If anything, I might be too late to save my friends, or my sister.

I heard Dr. Sullivan screaming after me, and the clanging footsteps of nurses attempting to run after me, but it was no use. I had the element of surprise, and was able to slip past most of them. By the time I found the steps, I was tired, and out of breath. The medication had messed with my body, and I wasn't in peak health. However, I needed to keep going or I'd be caught.

I skipped steps as I sprinted down them, and eventually made my way to the front desk. Kathy stood, and was about to say something, but I didn't hear her. I opened the door, and stepped into the sunshine. The light was bright, and hurt my eyes, but I couldn't stand around to adjust. I turned, and continued running down the street, until Radley was a speck in the distance.

I was going to save my friends.


	23. We Stitch These Wounds

**CHAPTER 23: We Stitch These Wounds**

_EMILY'S POV:_

"I'm sure everything will turn out for the better." Hanna chided as Aria finished telling her what had been happening with Spencer. Hanna hadn't been able to make it to the café last night, so we had to meet the next morning to fill her in. I didn't have the heart to repeat it myself, Aria did it for me.

"I hope so." I muttered, unconvinced

"You just have to have faith in her is all." Hanna mentioned. I sighed.

"I know, but it's hard." I frowned.

Suddenly the doors to the café opened, and Mrs. Hastings ran through, and immediately towards us. I felt my heart sink.

"Hey girls, have you seen Spencer anywhere?" She asked, somewhat out of breath.

"No...she's in Radley..." Aria answered for the three of us

"No she's not. Dr. Sullivan said she ran out in a panic to come get you guys, I figured you'd have seen her." Mrs. Hastings informed us.

"What?!" I was beyond shocked. It was unlike Spencer to do something like that.

Mrs. Hastings phone rang, and she turned to answer it, however a few seconds later she handed it to us.

"It's Dr. Sullivan, she wants to talk to you."

Mrs. Hastings handed the phone to me, and I gulped. I was worried as to what the woman had to say.

"Dr. Sullivan?" I asked hesitantly.

"Emily, hello, have any of you had any contact with Spencer recently?" She asked.

"No, we haven't." I replied. "What's going on?" I asked.

Dr. Sullivan sighed. "Spencer ran out on me after I told her she couldn't accuse people of being someone they're not. I didn't mean to upset her, she's just in a really fragile state right now."

I thought for a minute.

"Who was she accusing, and what was she accusing them for?" I asked after a while.

"She kept ranting about A, and how she figured it out." Dr. Sullivan explained. "Only she had no proof."

I felt my mouth fall open. Even if Spencer had been out of it lately, she would never be so bold to say she knew who it was if she didn't know.

"Who did she say it was?" I practically demanded.

"Wren, do you know him?" She replied.

I gasped. If Wren was A, then Spencer had been right when we intruded on him and her sister in the cabin. A really _was_ living in that cabin.

"Thank you, I have to go." I muttered, and handed the phone back to Mrs. Hastings. She smiled gratefully and walked to the other side of the café to continue talking.

"What happened? What did she say?" Aria asked, impatient.

"Spencer found out who A is, and she ran out to find us and make sure we were safe." I explained. 

"What?! Who is it?" Hanna shrieked. 

"Wren." I snapped, angered at the sound of his name. 

Aria gasped. "So that night at the cabin..." 

"Yeah, she was right the whole time." I frowned.

"So she's on her way to find us? Why?" Hanna asked.

"She wanted to make sure we were safe, that's what Dr. Sullivan said.

"But we are safe..." Aria trailed off.

I nodded and frowned.

"That's what worries me. We're safe, but she may not be."

_SPENCER'S POV:_

I ran by the street, attempting to find my way back to the cabin where I was certain Wren was. I was lucky my memory was pretty sharp, and I could still remember how to get there for the most part.

_Spencer, is everything alright?_

"Absolutely." I groaned. "What if I'm too late?"

_I'm sure you're not too late. Maybe A, I mean Wren, doesn't even have your friends._

"I guess." I turned left and continued to follow the street. The woods surrounding the road became denser, and I continued to look around, paranoid Wren was hiding somewhere.

I slowed to a walk as I approached the cabin. The lights were on, and I wondered if Wren had my friends in there.

_Maybe you should wait a minute, just to be safe..._

I sighed. "I guess so, I just don't want things to be too late. If I wait any longer things could get worse and-"

My sentence was cut off as something hard hit me on the back of the head. I reeled forward, and fell to my knees, stunned. I could feel myself slipping into unconsciousness. Before I could get a look at who hit me, the world faded before me.

_WREN'S POV:_

"Do you have her?"

I turned to my right hand man and smiled, as he placed the unconscious brunette on the table I had laid out.

"Just as you wanted." He smiled cruelly.

"It's time for her to learn to keep her mouth shut." I grinned, as I grabbed the spool of sutures I had on a table next to where Spencer was laying. Sliding on a pair of latex gloves, I pulled the needle out of my pocket.

"Are you sure this is the right thing to do?" My assistant asked.

I sighed. "Don't tell me you're getting cold feet." I rolled my eyes. "Of course it's the right thing to do. She needs to be taught a lesson for spilling her information."

I returned to the table. She looked so angelic, and peaceful when she wasn't awake. I sighed, and imagined her face when she woke up. It would not be a pretty sight.

However, it was one I could live with.

"Come closer." I motioned to the person standing next to me. He walked up hesitantly.

"Are you sure it's not going to hurt her?" He asked.

"It will hurt her, but she can deal with it. It's her fault for leaking information on us." I rolled my eyes.

"Of course. Is there anything you need before we proceed?" He asked.

"No, I've got everything." I turned back to the table, and grinned.

"But thanks, Eddie."


	24. Sayonara

**CHAPTER 24: Sayonara **

_ARIA'S POV:_

"I'm sure everything is fine." I muttered to Emily, as she drove us to the cabin we had visited previously.

"I hope so." Emily's face was drawn tight, and I knew she was overflowing with worry. I glanced back at Hanna, who was lost in thought. All three of us were terrified something bad had happened, that's for certain.

"We're here." Emily scowled, as she stared down the haunting looking cabin. We waited in silence for a minute, before Hanna spoke up.

"What exactly is our plan?" She asked. "I'm hesitant to barge in there, but…"

"I understand." I muttered.

I glanced at Emily, but she didn't have anything to say.

"Well, it's best to not waste any more time when Spencer might need us. Let's go." I attempted to smile, but it wasn't effective.

We got out of the car, and carefully made our way up to the cabin. The light was on, but there didn't appear to be anyone inside.

Hanna was the first to approach the door, and she opened it with extreme caution. However, the cabin was empty by the time the three of us walked inside.

"I don't get it, I thought Wren would be here with Spencer…" Emily sounded disappointed.

"Maybe we were wrong, maybe he's somewhere else." I mentioned.

"I don't think so. The lights wouldn't have been left on if no one was here. Maybe there's something we're missing." Hanna pointed out.

I nodded, and the three of us proceeded to search about the cabin.

_SPENCER'S POV:_

I woke up drowsily, unaware of my surroundings. However, when I sat up, I knew exactly where I was. Wren was sitting in a chair across the room. I tried to scream, but found that it was impossible. Pain surged through my face, and I felt my eyes widen. I gently brought my hand to my lips, only to find that they had been sewn shut with stitches only a doctor could have perfected. My mind immediately went to panic, but Wren's demonic smile only proved to terrify me.

"I'm afraid you brought it upon yourself Spencer." Wren smirked, as he got up and walked over to the table. I cowered away from him.

"If only you had kept your mouth shut about me." Wren sighed, and I wasn't certain about what he was going to do. I wanted to ask him, and demand he explain things, but I knew I couldn't. The panic that had previously overtaken my mind was replaced with fear, and terror. I winced as my lips throbbed with pain, but I couldn't get distracted from the problem in front of me. Wren noticed my struggling.

"Don't worry Spencer. The pain will go away soon I promise." Wren smiled evilly. "You won't be able to talk again, but that's not really a problem."

I closed my eyes, and was attempting to block out what was happening. However, my eyes shot open when I heard a door somewhere open. It was pretty clear we were in a basement of sorts, and so I assumed the door was opening to the cabin.

"I see we have visitors." Wren noticed, his smile growing even wider. "How interesting."

I tried to make some noise as to alert my friends, but Wren glared at me.

"They won't be able to hear you darling." He cooed. Glancing up at the ceiling as footsteps wandered about the cabin, Wren smiled.

"Get up." He snapped at me. I obliged, and slid off the hard table I was previously lying on. He directed me into a corner, and insisted that I sit down. I normally would have fought back, but Wren had pulled his handgun out of his pocket, and I was terrified. I think Bethany was terrified to, because she hadn't said anything.

I watched as Wren walked over to a large desk with computers. He seemed to be searching for something.

"It appears to me that our guests upstairs are none other than your friends." Wren grinned.

My heart pounded in my chest as I realized that they might be in danger. I prayed that they didn't find the basement, and just left. As much as I wanted them to come rescue me, I didn't want them getting hurt.

However, my prayers went unanswered as the door to the basement opened.

_EMILY'S POV:_

We stood in front of the basement door, hesitant. After searching the cabin, we were certain that someone was here somewhere. While none of us wanted to venture into the unknown territory of the basement, we figured if anyone was down there, it would be Spencer.

"What if….what if it's too late…." I mumbled, scared out of my mind.

Aria frowned. "I guess then we continue to search for Wren. If Spencer is indeed…dead down there, we can't let her death have been in vain."

I nodded slowly. "I understand."

Hanna smiled sadly, and opened the door to the basement. The lights were off, but the small light of a computer screen could be seen flickering.

"Someone's down there…." Aria pointed out.

"I know, but maybe it's Spencer. Come on." Hanna insisted. I walked in first, determined to save my girlfriend.

We walked down the steps until we came to the large basement. The three of us walked over to the computer screens immediately, and started looking at them.

"This definitely belongs to Wren…" Aria muttered. I nodded. The two of us were about to attempt to hack into the machine when Hanna gasped.

I turned around immediately, and my heart went cold. Wren was standing in his black hoodie, across the room. He was holding Spencer next to him, a small handgun pressed to her head. Her eyes were wide, and she was in tears. However, that wasn't what bothered me. Spencer's mouth had been stitched shut. I felt tears come to my eyes, as I looked at it. It looked incredibly painful, and I was terrified for her.

"Hello girls." Wren smiled.

"What did you do to her?" I screamed.

"Only what she deserved. She needed to learn to keep quiet." He growled.

"Wren, why are you doing this? What do you want from us?" Aria cried. Wren laughed.

"You really don't get it do you?" He rambled. "You see, I loved Alison way before Ian did. That summer before she fled from me was supposed to be our summer together!" His eyes were wide with madness.

"However, she chose Ian over me. She loved…_him_." He spat the word like it was venom. "I knew then that I had to take revenge on her. However, I wasn't the only one who thought so. Mona also wanted her revenge. I steered clear, and let Mona do the dirty work, but then Spencer here ratted Mona out, and I knew I had to take charge."

I shivered as I watched Wren press the gun tighter against Spencer's head. He was _insane. _

"At first I wanted revenge on Alison, but after talking to Mona, I realized that you four were no better than her. You needed to be put in your place. Alison may have been the ring leader, but you four supported her, and needed to be punished for that." Wren scowled.

"Wren, I understand you were mad at Alison, but we're nothing like her!" Hanna argued.

"You're more like her than you care to realize." He spat.

"Wren, what do you want from us?" I cried.

"What do I want?" Wren laughed, "To see you pay for what you've done. You, _and _Alison."

I was confused, we hadn't done anything. However, Wren was so angry with Alison, I wondered just how sane he was.

"What are you going to do with her?" I asked, worried for Spencer's sake.

Wren smiled, and nodded over to the shadows. Eddie Lamb walked over to us, holding a handgun. He forced us to back up until our backs were against a wall.

"Eddie? What do you have to do with this?" Aria shrieked.

"He's just here to help me. You see, Eddie here liked Bethany. However, it was Alison's fault she died. I had instructed someone to knock out Alison, but with Bethany there, you can see how easily that person got confused." Wren explained. "Eddie was so upset, he wanted revenge on Alison just as I did, and we joined forces."

Wren paused and smiled. "As for what I'm going to do with her, I don't see much of a point in keeping her around." Wren clicked the gun back, and I felt my heart stop.

"Wren, don't do it." Aria pleaded. "You may be eager for revenge, but you're not a murderer."

Wren laughed. "Clearly you don't know me." He smiled.

"Any last words Spencer?" He turned to my girlfriend, who was shaking in fear. He laughed.

"Of course, how could I have forgotten about your dilemma?" He rolled his eyes.

"Sayonara Ms. Hastings." Wren grinned.

"No!" I screamed, as a single gunshot echoed through the basement. 


	25. Heroic Sacrifice

**CHAPTER 25: Heroic Sacrifice**

_EMILY'S POV:_

"No!" I screamed, as a single gunshot echoed through the basement.

Wren's body jerked slightly, before he fell. He bore a look of surprise. I watched as Spencer moved aside and sat on the ground, clearly exhausted.

I turned to Eddie, whose hand was outstretched, gun pointed at Wren's chest. He glanced at me.

"I'm sorry. I wanted revenge on Alison, but not like this." He muttered. "However, I still deserve to be put away for what I've done. Don't try and change that. I still made poor choices, even if I did the right thing in the end."

"I understand…thank you…" I muttered. I turned and walked over to where Aria and Hanna were attempting to soothe Spencer.

"Do you have, scissors anywhere?" I asked Eddie, who nodded and handed me a pair of small surgical scissors. I thanked him once more, and walked over to my girlfriend. She looked up at me as I approached her, her eyes wide with fear.

"It's okay." I cooed as I took the scissors and cut away the stitching. I gently removed the pieces that were still in her lips. She winced, and I knew it must have been painful, but I wanted to remove it as soon as possible.

Once the entire thing was removed, I held her in my arms. She cried within contact, and I knew just how terrified she must have been.

"It's okay now, he's gone." I mumbled to her softly, as tears ran down my face.

"As much as I love seeing the two of you together again, I think you should get out of here." Eddie warned.

"Why? What's wrong?" Aria questioned, uncertain.

"Wren has this building on a timer. He was planning on surviving through the night, but didn't want to leave any trace of him, or of you. This building is going to explode in about five minutes. He intended on trapping you down here as he escaped to kill you off. However, that's not happening now." Eddie explained.

"What? He was insane!" Hanna shrieked. I stood up, and helped Spencer to her feet. She still hadn't said anything since the stitches were removed, but I didn't blame her.

"I know, but you need to leave, now." Eddie insisted.

"Alright, let's go." I nodded. The four of us climbed back up the stairs and into the cabin. The lights flickered as we walked out the door.

"Wait, where's Eddie?" Aria asked, as she turned around.

"I thought he was right behind you!" I panicked.

"We have to go back in to get him." Hanna insisted, and I nodded. However, as we walked back I felt a hand on my arm. Spencer was shaking her head, and holding my arm.

"Spencer, what is it?" I asked. Hanna paused, and turned to see what was going on. Just as she turned, the cabin exploded in a bright flash of energy. Flames engulfed the building, and pieces of it were sprawled across the woods.

I screamed and fell to the ground, as did Hanna and Aria. However, Spencer remained standing, staring off into the fire.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

She nodded.

"Why didn't he follow us out?" Aria asked.

"He wanted to pay for what he did." Spencer rasped, and I glanced at her. They were the first words she'd spoken since the stitches were cut.

"He knew he would never be able to live with himself for what he did, and so he knew the only way to fix that was to die." Spencer sighed.

"Wow." I muttered, surprised by her answer. "I guess he was decent after all."

Spencer nodded, and turned to me. Her eyes hid shadows, but danced in the light of the flames.

"He died a hero." She stated.


	26. Goodbyes Are Not Forever

**I can't believe this is the last chapter. It seems to have flown by as I typed it. It was a load of fun to write, and I really enjoyed some of the plot twists that happened throughout the story. While it may not be my favorite story I've written, this one was definitely interesting. It was a challenge, and I really loved every minute of it. **

**I want to thank , and the other countless people for following this story to its' end. I couldn't have done it without you, and I love seeing the reviews you post. They convince me that my writing is actually being enjoyed by people. **

**I'd also like to thank my amazing friend pllisslifee13, for encouraging me to continue with this story. Even if that encouraging comes in the form of threats, and angry words. (She hates cliffhangers). If any of you are looking for something new to read, now that this one is over, she's also a huge Spemily fan, and is writing a new story at the moment. **

**I will be writing something new, however when and what it is, I am unsure. However, I have many ideas to chose from. **

**Now, I hope you enjoy this next chapter just as much as you've enjoyed the rest of the story.**

**Thank you once more. **

**Keep Writing!**

**_Reyna_**

**CHAPTER 26: Goodbyes Are Not Forever**

_ARIA'S POV:_

By the time the firemen arrived to put out what was left burning of the cabin, Spencer had passed out. We explained everything to the police back at the station, and were waiting for the all clear to go home. Spencer had to be woken up to share her piece of the story, but she and Emily talked together. Spencer was still pretty shaken up about the whole situation. Mrs. Hastings called Melissa while we were still at the station. I'm not sure how Melissa reacted to the news, but I assume it wasn't a good reaction. Despite her attitude towards Spencer, I still felt somewhat bad for her. Her boyfriend was just killed after they found out how insane he was. That must have been hard for her to take.

When the police had what they needed, we left, and walked over to the park. Mr. and Mrs. Hastings were there to greet us, as well as the rest of our parents. After explaining the situation again to them, Spencer convinced her parents to let the three of us sleep over. Our parents understood just how much we needed to remain together at the moment.

_SPENCER'S POV:_

The four of us sat on a park bench, enjoying the night, free of A. Mr. and Mrs. Hastings were still talking with the police on the phone, and so we had to wait for them to finish.

I was still thinking about what had happened, when I realized that I hadn't heard from Bethany for a while.

I stood up and walked away from the bench. I could feel my parents watching me, and I knew they were still paranoid.

"Bethany?" I asked, but didn't get a response.

"Spencer, what's wrong?" Emily walked over to me, and placed her hands on my shoulders gently.

"It's Bethany, I can't hear her." I explained. I heard Emily sigh, and I knew she was still hesitant on believing me.

"Spencer I'm sure everything's fine." She muttered.

"I don't know, what if she left and I didn't get to say goodbye?" I panicked.

_Don't worry Spencer, that's not going to happen. _

I sighed, relieved.

"Bethany, it is good to hear from you. Why do you sound so distant?" I wondered. It was harder to hear her than normal. I could sense my parents walking over, and I knew they still thought I was crazy.

"Spencer…" Aria muttered, her and Hanna had walked up and were standing next to Emily, who had given me some space.

_I think…I think we're separating…_

I paused. "What?" I was surprised.

_I can feel it, we aren't as connected. I think, I think you did it. I can finally be left in peace.._

"Bethany, I don't know if I'm ready for you to leave, you're my friend!" I pleaded.

_I know. But this is what was supposed to happen. Just be happy, even in death, you made me happy. _

"You made me happy too." I felt tears slide down my face. "I'll miss you."

"Spencer what's going on?" My mom asked.

_I'll miss you too. But I promise, I'll never forget you. _

"Nor will I." I smiled sadly.

_Before I go, I just want to let you know one thing. Radley, I was admitted to Radley because…I was depressed. I didn't have many friends, and my parents weren't very nice. I did a lot of awful things to myself that I'm pretty embarrassed to admit. I know you maybe don't care, but I feel like it was important to tell you. _

I smiled and nodded.

"Thank you for telling me. I know how hard that must have been."

_Tell Alison hi for me if you get the chance, please._

"I will." I smiled, as tears continued to wet my cheeks.

_Thank you Spencer. You were the best friend I ever had._

I gasped as I felt my entire body go cold for a minute.

"Bethany?" I asked. However, the sweet voice didn't respond. Instead, I watched as a small light formed in the air in front of me. Soon the light took shape, and the silhouette of a young girl was standing in front of me.

"Goodbye Spencer." The voice I had heard inside my head for so long now whispered among the wind.

I watched as her spirit faded away. I hoped she was happy where she was going, I knew I'd miss her for the rest of my life.

"Was that…" I turned around. Emily and Aria were shocked, Hanna was grinning as if she knew the whole time. My parents too bore looks of shock, and I almost laughed.

"You were telling the truth the whole time." My mom was surprised.

"I was." I nodded.

"I can't believe it…." My dad muttered. "To think we sent you to Radley for nothing…"

"It's okay. I forgave you a long time ago." I smiled.

Emily approached me slowly, and everyone else walked back to the car. I realized they knew we needed some time alone.

"I'm so sorry." Emily started. "I…I never believed you…and that caused us so much pain."

I cupped her face in my hands.

"There was no way for you to know." I smiled sweetly.

"I guess. I just feel bad." She looked down at her feet, but I held her head up so she continued to look at me in the eyes.

"Don't." I insisted, as I placed a long awaited kiss on her lips. She smiled halfway through.

"Did I ever tell you you're crazy sometimes?" She laughed. "I don't understand how you can forgive someone so easily."

I laughed. "It's easy to forgive the people you love." I smiled. "And I'm not crazy, I'm _insane."_

Emily laughed, and we walked back to the car together, hand in hand. It was a feeling I missed. Before we got into the car I paused to look back up at the sky.

"Goodbye Bethany." I muttered, before hopping into the car, headed towards a life of new possibilities, and new freedoms.


End file.
